r 

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MEMOIR 


ALFRED  BENNETT, 


FIRST  PASTOR  OF  THE  BAPTIST  CHURCH,  HOMER,  N.  T., 

UfD 

SENIOR    AGENT 
OF  THK 

AMERICAN  BAPTIST  MISSIONARY  UNION. 


BY   H.  HARVEY. 

THIRD  EDITION. 

NEW  YORK: 
EDWARD    H.    FLETCHER, 

141     NASSAU-STREET. 
1852. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1852, 

BY  E.  H.  FLETCHER, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern 
District  of  New  York. 


ADVERTISEMENT. 

In  presenting  this  work  to  the  public,  the  publisher  would 
bespeak  the  kind  attention  and  interest  of  the  friends  of  the 
lamented  subject  of  its  pages,  and  mention  that  the  arrange- 
ments of  its  publication  are  such  as  to  secure  to  his  widow  a 
share  in  the  proceeds  of  its  sale. 


TO  THE 

HOMER  BAPTIST   CONGREGATION, 

£l)is    memorial 

OF   HIM 

WHO  FIRST  MINISTERED  TO  THEM  THE  WORD  OF  LIFX, 

AND,  AFTER  LONG  AND   FAITHFUL  TOIL  D»  THE  WORK   OF  CHRIST, 

DIED  WITH  PEACEFUL  TRIUMPH  IN  THEIR  MIDST, 

Ss  affectfonatels  Detofcatelr  |)2 

THEIR   PASTOR. 


PREFACE, 


THIS  volume,  prepared  in  the  midst  of  feeble  health 
and  the  pressure  of  pastoral  duties,  is  now  with  diffi- 
dence submitted  to  the  Christian  public.  The  .subject 
of  it  held  no  classic  pen.  He  belonged  to  a  generation 
of  men  whose  chief  power  was  in  oral,  not  written  com- 
munication. In  speech  he  was  richly  gifted ;  but  the 
vivacity,  force,  and  ardor  which  characterized  his  dis- 
course, he  was  never  able  to  transfer  to  the  written 
page.  As  his  biography  must  necessarily  be  made  up, 
to  no  inconsiderable  extent,  from  his  correspondence,  the 
reader  will,  it  is  feared,  be  painfully  conscious  that  the 
portraiture  here  given  lacks  the  glow  and  richness  of  the 
living  original. 

The  materials  were  not  abundant.  Most  of  his  let- 
ters have  been  lost.  The  account  of  his  conversion  and 
exercises  respecting  the  ministry  was  given  by  him  only 
at  the  urgent  request  of  the  church  in  Homer.  Of  the 
remaining  part  of  his  life,  he  declined  making  any  state- 
ments, remarking  that  it  had  been  public,  in  the  midst  of 
1* 


VI  PREFACE. 

his  brethren,  and  he  would  say  nothing  about  it.  This 
was  characteristic  of  him. 

His  memory  will  live  long  in  the  hearts  of  the 
churches,  and  with  a  freshness  with  which,  from  these 
circumstances,  it  can  never  be  embalmed  in  the  printed 
volume.  He  was  emphatically  a  man  who  "  served  his 
own  generation ;"  and  while  the  results  of  his  life  will 
doubtless  continue  to  be  felt  on  earth  until  the  consum- 
mation of  all  things,  he  has  left  no  written  memorials  to 
represent  adequately,  in  after  times,  the  rare  excellences 
of  his  character. 

The  writer  oan  only  say,  he  has  used  to  the  best  of 
his  ability  the  limited  materials  within  his  reach ;  and 
the  work  is  now  committed  to  the  press,  with  the  ardent 
hope  that  it  may  excite  many  to  emulate  the  exalted 
Christian  virtues  of  this  venerated  servant  of  God,  and 
may  thus  subserve  the  interests  of  vital  godliness,  and 
receive  the  approbation  of  the  Heavenly  Master. 

HOJCBE,  January  20th,  1852. 


CONTENTS, 


MM 

CHAPTER  I. — YOUTH 9 

II. — CONVERSION 19 

III— A  DREAM 32 

IV. — ENTRANCE  ON  THE  MINISTRY 50 

V. — PASTORAL  LABORS  69 

VI. — REVIVALS 85 

VIL — CONTEMPORARIES 101 

V1IL — CLOSING  PASTORAL  WORK 113 

IX. — MISSIONARY  AGENCY  133 

X. — TOURS  SOUTH  AND  WEST 144 

XL— TOURS  EAST  AND  WEST 169 

XIL — ILLNESS  AND  DEATH 186 

XTTT. — CHARACTER  209 


MEMOIR  OF  REV,  ALFRED  BENNETT, 


CHAPTER  I, 

YOUTH. 

ALFRED  BENSTETT  was  born  September  26, 1780, 
in  llansfield,  Windham  county,  Connecticut.  His 
parents,  Asa  and  Mary  Bennett,  were  both  pious ; 
the  former  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church  at 
Hampton,  the  latter  connected  with  the  Congrega- 
tional church  in  Mansfield.  In  later  life,  how- 
ever, his  mother  also  became  a  Baptist. 

The  influences  of  home  were  strictly  religious, 
and  many  circumstances  are  mentioned  which 
attest  the  godly  character  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bennett. 
At  the  family  altar,  morning  and  evening,  they 
were  accustomed  to  seek  instruction  from  the 
Bacred  Word,  and  bow  in  thanksgiving  and  sup- 
plication. The  lofty  moral  principles  which  nur- 
tured the  manly  virtues  of  the  earlier  Puritans  had 
rnot  then  passed  away,  as  among  the  defects  of  a 
sterner  age ;  and  in  this  domestic  circle  they  still 


10  MEMOIR  OF 

exerted  their  potent  influence,  in  the  healthful 
restraints  placed  around  the  young,  and  the  sacred- 
ness  with  which  they  invested  the  institutions  of 
religion  and  virtue.  The  attendance  of  their  chil- 
dren upon  the  public  worship  of  God  was  also 
strictly  enjoined,  and  the  Sabbath  seldom  found 
their  place  vacant  in  the  sanctuary.  In  obedience 
to  the  apostolic  injunction,  they  earnestly  endeav- 
ored to  bring  up  their  offspring  "  in  the  nurture 
and  admonition  of  the  Lord."  Nor  was  their  pious 
zeal  unrewarded.  They  had  the  happiness  of 
seeing  the  whole  family  group  become  members  of 
the  family  of  God,  and  attain  to  positions  of  emi- 
nent usefulness  in  the  earthly  church ;  and  though 
they  have  long  since  entered  into  rest,  their  chil- 
dren's children,  at  this  day,  rise  up  and  call  them 
blessed. 

Alfred  was  their  second  son.  The  eldest,  Asa, 
became  a  subject  of  Divine  grace  early  in  life,  and 
for  many  years  subsequently,  as  an  officer  in  the' 
Baptist  church  at  Homer,  was  a  worthy  coadjutor 
of  his  brother,  and  distinguished  for  his  enlight- 
ened Christian  zeal  and  eminently  godly  life.  The 
next  younger  is  Rev.  Alvin  Bennett,  of  South 
"Wilbraham,  Mass.,  who  still  survives,  widely 
known  and  revered  as  a  devoted  and  successful 
minister  of  the  Gospel.  The  remaining  son,  Elea- 


EEV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  11 

zar,  continued  to  reside  for  many  years  on  the 
paternal  estate,  and  lived  and  died  a  member  of 
the  church  to  which  his  father  was  attached.  The 
only  daughter,  Sarah,  became  wife  of  Rev.  William 
Palmer,  an  esteemed  minister  of  Christ,  in  Nor- 
wich, Conn. 

Thus  God  honored  parental  faithfulness.  The 
seeds  of  life  early  sown,  and  watered  with  many 
prayers  and  tears,  at  last  sprung  up  and  have 
borne  a  rich  harvest.  From  that  pious  home, 
where  the  fear  of  God  dwelt  and  His  commands 
were  obeyed,  have  flowed  streams  of  spiritual 
blessings,  which  must  continue  to  extend  and 
multiply,  till  the  latter  day  glory  bursts  upon  the 
world  and  the  Most  High  sets  up  the  Throne  of 
Judgment. 

The  nearest  Baptist  church  was  at  Hampton, 
about  fifteen  miles  distant.  The  churches  of  this 
religious  denomination  had  been  until  lately  com- 
paratively few  in  the  land,  and  though  less  re- 
stricted in  Connecticut  than  in  Massachusetts, 
their  growth  was  much  repressed  by  oppressive 
legal  enactments.  Congregationalism  was  the 
State  religion,  and  the  law  required  every  person 
to  contribute  to  that  form  of  worship,  unless  a 
certificate  was  obtained  certifying  that  he  regu- 
larly attended  and  paid  at  some  other  church. 


12  MEMOIR  OF 

This  union  of  State  and  Church  necessarily  cast 
the  whole  influence  of  government  against  every 
form  of  dissent,  and  made  it  the  secular  interest 
of  men  to  attend  upon  the  ministry  thus  recog- 
nized by  law.  It  was  generally  deemed  schismat- 
ical  to  differ  from  the  established  religion,  and 
those  who  ventured  to  do  so  were  commonly  ac- 
counted restless  disturbers  of  good  order  and  the 
general  religious  welfare.  The  Baptist  church 
had  been  of  late,  indeed,  rapidly  increasing,  not- 
withstanding these  adverse  influences;  yet  they 
were  not  even  then  numerous,  and  their  members 
were  often  widely  scattered.  Mr.  Bennett's  fam- 
ily, therefore,  usually  attended  the  Congregational 
church  in  Mansfield,  and  received  their  religious 
education  under  the  public  instruction  of  the  min- 
istry there. 

Alfred  was  distinguished  in  boyhood  for  that 
vivacious,  buoyant  spirit  which,  chastened  by 
grace,  was  ever  characteristic  of  him  in  maturer 
life.  He  was  the  acknowledged  leader  in  all  the 
frolics  and  sports  of  the  boys.  If  any  wild,  boyish 
prank  had  been  played  in  the  neighborhood,  no- 
body would  believe  that  Alfred  Bennett  was  not 
at  the  head  of  it.  Never  profane,  or  malicious,  or 
immoral,  and  always  having  great  tenderness  of 
conscience,  he  loved  what  was  deemed  innocent 


REV.    ALFRED   BENJfETT.  13 

mischief  as  lie  loved  bis  life.  This  gay,  mirthful 
spirit  made  him  a  universal  favorite  among  his 
companions,  and  surrounded  him  continually  with 
increasing  temptations  to  levity.  He  afterwards 
ever  regarded  this  disposition  to  lightness  and 
trifling  as  the  great  sin  of  his  youth. 

It  is  not  known  that  any  serious  religious  im- 
pressions were  made  upon  his  mind  until  he  was 
about  twelve  years  old.  One  evening,  at  his 
mother's  request,  he  read  to  her  from  Hervey's 
Meditations,  and  the  thoughts  then  suggested 
awakened  within  some  anxieties  respecting  his 
eternal  welfare.  The  influence  of  this,  however, 
was  only  transient ;  it  disappeared  soon  in  greater 
frivolity  and  waywardness. 

The  great  awakening  which  was  experienced 
under  the  labors  of  Whitefield,  Edwards,  and  other 
distinguished  men  in  the  first  half  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  had  long  since  ceased,  though  its  mem- 
ory lingered  still  in  the  breasts  of  the  fathers  in 
the  churches,  and  many  who  had  then  experienced 
the  riches  of  grace  lived  as  monuments  of  those 
mighty  manifestations  of  the  power  of  God.  The 
lax  theology,  against  which  those  holy  men  had 
so  earnestly  contended,  again  largely  pervaded 
the  teachings  of  the  schools  and  the  ministrations 
of  the  pulpit.  The  doctrines  of  grace  which  had 
2 


14  MEMOIR   OT 

then  been  mighty,  through  God,  to  awaken  the 
conscience  and  bow  the  heart  before  the  Throne, 
were  extensively  discarded,  and  looser  sentiments, 
exalting  the  sinner  and  abasing  God,  were  followed 
by  their  legitimate  result,  the  decrease  of  true 
spiritual  life.  The  sovereignty  of  God,  the  effect- 
ual calling  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  other  kindred 
truths,  which  lie  at  the  basis  of  the  Gospel,  and 
were  weapons  attended  with  supernatural  energy 
when  wielded  by  those  early  revivalists,  were  now 
often  thrown  aside  and  exposed  to  popular  odium. 
Many  faithful  men,  indeed,  yet  lifted  up  their 
voice  for  the  truth,  and  numerous  were  the  pulpits 
where  the  light  of  these  great  doctrines  was  never 
quenched ;  but  the  popular  tendency  in  the 
churches  was  in  the  other  direction.  And  the 
ministry  under  which  Alfred  Bennett  was  reared, 
as  he  afterwards  remarked  to  the  writer,  was  wont 
to  teach,  what  was  then  a  common  sentiment,  "  If 
you  do  on  your  part,  God  will  do  on  His  part ;" 
intending  in  that  expression  to  direct  the  sinner 
to  his  own  good  works  as  a  means  of  justification, 
instead  of  the  righteousness  of  Christ,  and  over- 
looking the  total  natural  depravity  of  the  soul  and 
the  need  of  the  Spirit's  renewing  power. 

The  year  1797,  as  well  as  a  number  previous, 
was  marked  as  a  period  of  great  religious  declen- 


REV.    ALFRED   BENNETT.  15 

sion  throughout  New  England,  among  all  denom- 
inations of  Christians.  The  faithful  wept  in  secret 
over  the  utter  indifference  to  vital  religion  gener- 
ally manifested,  and  many  a  godly  minister  was 
fainting  at  his  post  on  account  of  the  apparently 
increased  hardness  of  heart  among  the  people. 
But  God  is  not  unrighteous  to  forget  the  work  and 
labor  of  His  servants.  In  the  Spring  of  the  fol- 
lowing year  an  extensive  revival  began,  and  with 
great  power  spread  rapidly  over  the  country.  The 
annals  of  that  period  furnish  the  following  record  : 
"A  great  work  came  on  in  the  spring  of  1T98,  in 
many  parts  of  America.  It  began  at  Mansfield, 
in  Connecticut,  in  a  remarkable  manner.  A  letter 
from  "Windham,  in  October,  mentions  it  and  says, 
'The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  seemed  to  sweep  all  before 
it,  like  an  overflowing  flood,  though  with  very 
little  noise  or  crying  out.  It  was  wonderful  to 
see  the  surprising  alteration  in  that  place,  in  so 
short  a  time.  I  conclude  there  are  not  less  than 
an  hundred  souls  converted  in  that  town  since  the 
work  began.  It  soon  after  began  in  Hampton,  but 
did  not  spread  with  the  same  degree  of  rapidity 
as  in  Mansfield.  The  same  happy  work  has  lately 
taken  place  in  Ashford.'  Soon  after  this,  Hart- 
ford, the  capital  city,  experienced  the  like  work 
among  the  Congregational  and  Baptist  societies." 


16  MEMOIE  OF 

This  great  awakening  was  felt  in  all  parts  of  !N"ew 
England,  and  multitudes  were  made  to  rejoice  in 
hope  of  eternal  life.  Dr.  Tyler  remarks,  in  his 
memoir  of  the  excellent  Nettleton,  "During  a 
period  of  four  or  five  years,  commencing  with 
1798,  not  less  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  churches 
in  New  England  were  favored  with  the  special 
effusions  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  and  thousands  of 
souls,  in  the  judgment  of  charity,  were  translated 
from  the  kingdom  of  Satan  into  the  kingdom  of 
God's  dear  Son." 

Of  this  gracious  work,  which  began  in  his  native 
town,  Mr.  Bennett  was  among  the  earliest  sub- 
jects ;  and  during  the  years-in  which  it  continued, 
he  labored  with  all  the  energy  of  his  ardent  mind 
for  its  promotion.  Many  others,  also,  of  the  emi- 
nent men  who  have  been  leaders  in  the  church  of 
God  during  the  past  half  century,  date  their  con- 
version during  this  extraordinary  outpouring  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  The  reader  will,  therefore,  be 
gratified  with  further  extracts  from  the  history 
of  those  years,  illustrating  the  character  of  this 
revival  and  the  manner  in  which  the  work  was 
carried  on.  The  first  is  from  a  letter  of  Rev.  Mr. 
Blood,  pastor  of  a  Baptist  church  in  Shaftsbury, 
Vermont.  "  In  about  two  months  after  the  work 
began,  the  whole  town  seemed  to  be  affected. 


REV.    ALFRED    BENNETT.  17 

Conference  meetings  were  attended  two  or  three 
times  a  week  in  almost  every  neighborhood ;  and 
it  %vas  surprising  to  me  that  scarcely  a  single  in- 
stance appeared  of  any  overheated  zeal  or  flight 
of  passion.  Both  sinners  under  conviction  and 
those  newly  brought  into  the  liberty  of  the  Gospel, 
conversed  in  their  meetings  with  the  greatest 
freedom.  They  spoke  one  at  a  time  a  few  words 
in  the  most  solemn  manner  I  ever  heard  people 
in  my  life.  And  in  general  they  spake  so  low, 
that  their  assemblies  must  be  perfectly  still,.or  they 
could  not  hear  them ;  yet  a  remarkable  power  at- 
tended their  conversation.  Sinners  would  tremble, 
as  though  they  felt  themselves  in  the  immediate 
presence  of  the  great  Jehovah.  Some  of  all  ranks 
and  characters  have  been  taken,  from  the  most 
respectable  members  of  society  to  the  vilest  in  the 
place.  Some  of  our  most  noted  Deists  have  bowed 
the  knee  to  King  Jesus  ;  and  a  number  of  TJniver- 
salists  have  forsaken  their  delusions  and  embraced 
the  truth."  « 

Kev.  Mr.  Powers,  a  Congregational  minister  on 
Deer  Island,  in  Penobscot  Bay,  writing  in  March, 
1799,  says  :  "  Perhaps  there  hath  not  been  a  work 
so  powerful  and  so  much  like  the  work  of  fifty- 
eight  years  ago.  In  a  time  of  such  extraordinaries, 
it  could  not  reasonably  be  expected  but  some 
2* 


18  MEMOIR   OF 

things  would  be  a  little  wild  and  incoherent,  coii- 
sidering  the  various  tempers,  infirmities,  and  dis- 
positions of  mankind ;  but  I  believe  my  young 
dear  brother  Merrill,  together  with  experienced 
Christians,  was  very  careful  to  distinguish  the 
precious  from  the  vile;  to  correct  errors,  to  set 
them  in  the  way  of  his  steps,  so  that  there  appears 
to  be  no  prevalence  of  enthusiasm  among  them, 
according  to  the  best  information.  How  great  the 
number  is  of  those  who  have  been  brought  to 
hope,  I  am  not  able  to  give  any  tolerable  account. 
Some  say  there  are  about  an  hundred ;  others,  about 
double  that  number.  I  believe  they  are  all  very 
uncertain.  Blessed  be  God,  the  work  is  yet  going 
On,  though  not  with  equal  rapidity.  And  now, 
dear  sir,  let  your  imagination  paint  to  your  view 
the  striking  scene  of  an  hundred  souls,  men,  wo- 
men, and  children,  at  the  same  time  under  the 
work  of  the  law.  The  tears,  sobs,  groans  and  cries 
issuing  from  scores  at  a  time ;  all  the  terrors  of 
the  law  crowding  and  pressing  in  upon  them; 
their  sins,  in  infinite  number  and  aggravations, 
staring  them  in  the  face ;  all  their  old  vain  hopes 
gone,  and  cut  off,  and  every  refuge  failing !  Hear 
them  freely  confessing  their  old  abominations, 
their  former  enmity  to  the  great  doctrines  of  ori- 
ginal sin,  election,  the  sovereignty  of  divine  free 


REV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  19 

grace,  the  power  of  God  displayed  in  effectual 
vocation ;  above  all,  the  justice  of  God  in  their 
damnation !  How  often  are  souls  brought  out 
into  peace  and  comfort  of  the  love  of  God,  and 
the  sweet  consolations  of  the  Holy  Spirit !  The 
dead  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  live." 
This  revival,  of  which  the  above  extracts  will 
give  the  reader  some  conception,  broke  out  in  Mr. 
Bennett's  nineteenth  year.  It  found  him  careless 
respecting  the  welfare  of  his  soul,  and  the  great 
concerns  of  the  eternal  world ;  it  left  him  a  dis- 
tinguished monument  of  Divine  grace,  humble, 
penitent,  believing,  earnestly  seeking  the  ever- 
lasting well-being  of  souls  around  him. 


CHAPTER  II, 

CONVERSION. 

THE  narration  here  given  of  his  religious  ex- 
perience was  taken  from  his  own  lips,  during  the 
painful  illness  which  closed  his  life.  The  language 
is  for  the  most  part  his  own ;  it  has  been  subjected 
only  to  such  revision  as  seemed  to  be  required  for 
brevity  and  clearness. 


20  MEMOIR  OF 

"  In  the  spring  of  1798  I  went  to  live  with  a 
farmer,  a  neighbor  of  my  father,  to  assist  for  the 
season  as  a  hired  man.  Soon  after,  it  began  to  be 
mentioned  that  there  were  serious  impressions  and 
signs  of  revival  among  the  people.  '  Well,'  thought 
I,  '  I  have  no  concern  with  that.  There  may  be 
occasion  for  it  in  others :  I  want  nothing  to  do 
with  it.'  In  a  day  or  two  it  was  again  remarked 
that  there  certainly  was  some  revival,  for  such  and 
such  persons  were  under  awakening.  I  thought, 
if  I  were  as  bad  as  they  there  would  be  need  of 
reform,  but  as  it  is  I  am  good  enough  without.  In 
this  state  of  mind,  returning  from  worship  on  the 
Sabbath,  I  called  at  my  father's,  and  before  I 
left  my  mother  took  occasion  to  talk  with  me 
about  my  sins  and  my  soul.  I  sought  to  put  her 
off,  as  I  had  done  before  ;  but  she  remarked,  '  My 
son,  Jesus  Christ  is  passing  through  this  town,  and 
you  will  need  his  blessing  by  and  by :  you  better 
seek  it  now.'  This  word  took  deep  hold  of  my 
heart.  I  returned  home  full  of  anxious  thought, 
settled  in  my  mind  that  I  needed  religion.  I  said, 
'  What  right  have  I  to  expect  to  be  saved,  when  I 
have  never  asked  God  for  salvation  ?  I  will  now 
seek  the  welfare  of  my  soul.  I  have  been  an 
awfully  wicked  sinner.  Religion,  however,  is  a 
matter  between  God  and  my  own  soul.  I  will 


REV.    ALFRED   BENNETT.  21 

attend  to  it,  but  will  not  make  such  ado  about  it 
as  others,  so  as  to  make  my  feelings  public.' 
With  this  resolution  I  passed  the  evening  in  much 
thought,  reflecting  upon  my  sins  and  my  eternal 
interests. 

"  The  next  day,  while  I  was  revolving  my  lost 
condition,  an  old  man  came  into  the  field  where  I 
was  at  work ;  and  by-the-by,  he  was  a  poor,  wicked, 
profane,  Sabbath-breaking,  drunken  man,  whom, 
though  a  near  neighbor,  I  had  never  before  heard 

o  o  / 

speak  a  word  on  the  subject  of  religion,  nor  did  I 
afterwards.  He  said,  '  Did  you  hear  the  bell  toll  V 
It  had  just  tolled  for  a  man  of  about  his  age  and 
character.  I  said  I  did,  and  supposed  it  was  for 
Mr.  H.  He  replied,  'So  I  suppose;  but  only 
think  what  has  become  of  that  man !  Religion  is 
an  important  thing :  it  is  indispensable.'  And 
bursting  into  tears,  and  pulling  his  hoary  locks 
over  his  shoulders,  as  they  hung  in  ringlets,  he 
said,  '  Look  here,  I  am  an  old  and  gray-headed 
sinner ;  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  be  saved.  I 
must  die  and  go  to  hell.  But,  Alfred,  you  are 
young ;  you  may  be  religious  ;  and  I  conjure  you 
by  all  the  mercies  of  heaven,  by  all  the  pains  of 
hell,  attend  to  it  now :  don't  put  it  off.'  I  wept 
much,  and  he  wept,  and  we  parted.  Notwith- 
standing this  solemn  admonition,  to  avoid  giving 


22  MEMOIR  OF 

any  impression  that  there  was  seriousness  on  my 
mind,  I  went  that  evening  among  my  young  com- 
panions, and  perhaps  was  never  more  heedless  and 
volatile  than  during  that  night  up  to  a  late  hour. 
On  my  return,  however,  my  sorrows  were  re- 
doubled, arising  from  the  fear  that  I  had  now 
ruined  my  soul  forever. 

"  The  next  day  found  me  exceedingly  wretched. 
I  attended  the  funeral  of  the  man  above  alluded 
to,  but  passed  through  all  the  exercises  of  the  oc- 
casion without  feeling.  It  seemed  to  me  I  could 
not  feel ;  my  heart  was  hardened.  I  looked  upon 
the  corpse,  and  thought,  'Well,  were  I  in  his 
place,  were  would  my  poor  soul  be  ?'  hoping  thus 
to  break  my  hard  heart,  but  it  seemed  to  grow 
harder  still.  The  revival  broke  out  with  increased 
power  at  that  funeral,  and  I  found  myself  sur- 
rounded by  a  number,  weeping  and  conversing 
about  their  souls  and  the  prospects  of  the  future. 
I  retired  in  company  with  a  cousin,  E.  B.,  about 
my  own  age,  and  my  greatest  earthly  friend  and 
confidant,  who  seemed  as  gay  and  trifling  as  usual. 
We  stopped  at  his  father's  house,  and  were  soon 
followed  by  several  other  young  friends  with  whom 
we  were  wont  to  associate.  Seeing  me  quiet  and 
grave,  they  began  to  inquire  the  cause,  and,  on  my 
Answering  evasively,  insisted  that  some  one  must 


REV.    ALFRED   BENNETT.  23 

have  offended  me.  My  cousin  E.  took  me  aside, 
and  reminding  me  of  our  long  and  confidential 
friendship,  besought  me  to  disclose  the  reason  of 
my  unusual  sadness.  The  waters  of  affliction  had 
by  this  time  risen  so  high  in  my  soul  as  to  bear 
away  all  idea  of  secresy,  and  I  said,  '  I  am  an  un- 
done man.  I  am  a  sinner.  My  dear  E.,  I  am 
lost.'  He  burst  into  tears,  and  we  sat  down  and 
wept  together.  On  my  return  home,  my  employer 
went  out  with  me  upon  the  farm,  and  kindly  inquir- 
ed what  was  the  matter,  whether  I  was  dissatisfied 
with  him,  or  something  had  made  me  discontented 
with  my  situation.  The  disclosure  already  made 
to  my  cousin  had  only  increased  my  wretchedness, 
and  I  resolved  to  be  perfectly  frank  with  him.  I 
replied,  '  I  am  undone.  I  am  going  right  to  hell. 
I  see  no  way  to  avoid  it.  There  can  be  no  mercy 
for  me.'  And  I  supposed  that  he  would  sympa- 
thize with  me.  Instead  of  this  he  smiled,  and  I 
thought,  '  Now  my  sorrows  are  full.  I  am  going 
to  hell,  and  all  are  glad  of  it.  I  am  so  wicked 
that  it  will  be  a  relief  to  others  when  I  am  gone.' 
This  more  deeply  impressed  me  with  the  certainty 
of  my  miserable  doom. 

"  In  awful  apprehension  of  the  loss  of  my  soul, 
I  retired  to  a  barn,  and  walked  the  floor  for  some 
hours  that  evening.  I  tried  to  repent,  but  could 


24:  MEMOIR   OF 

not ;  I  tried  to  pray,  but  had  no  utterance.  I 
would  have  loved  God,  but  had  no  power;  I 
sought  to  believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  but  it 
was  in  vain.  My  heart  was  as  adamant;  and 
sinking  deeper  in  despair,  I  resolved  that  some- 
thing must  be  done,  my  soul  must  not  be  lost 
through  neglect;  and  having  always  been  in- 
structed under  a  ministry  which  taught,  '  If  you 
do  on  your  part,  God  will  do  on  His  part,'  I  de- 
termined my  soul  should  not  be  lost  through  any 
fault  of  mine.  I  therefore  marked  out  a  rigid 
course  of  duties  to  be  performed,  agreeing  with  my 
heart  that  I  would  pray  so  many  times  each  day, 
and  often  read  the  Bible ;  attend  all  the  religious 
meetings  within  my  power,  and  converse  with  all 
religious  people  who  could  give  me  instruction; 
for  I  cared  not  now  who  knew  that  I  was  under 
concern  for  my  sins :  and  above  all,  I  determined 
that  I  would  no  more  indulge  in  trifling  conversa- 
tion, neither  should  any  man  ever  see  another 
smile  upon  my  face ;  for  the  terrors  of  the  law  en- 
compassed my  soul,  coming  over  me  like  an  ava- 
lanche, from  the  text,  For  every  idle  word  that 
men  shall  speaJc,  they  shall  give  account  thereof  in 
the  day  of  judgment-  and  how  many  idle  words 
had  I  spoken ! 
,  "This  course  of  duties  I  adhered  to  during 


EEV.  'ALFRED   BENNETT.  25 

eight  or  ten  days  most  firmly.  At  one  time  I 
had  to  put  my  hand  upon  my  mouth  and  hold  my 
lips  together  till  I  left  the  company,  fearing  I 
might  say  some  idle  word  and  thus  peril  my  soul. 
At  length  I  began  to  grow  better,  as  I  esteemed 
it,  and  wondered  that  God  did  not  convert  me. 
I  was  conscious  I  needed  forgiveness,  and  thought 
I  had  now  arrived  at  the  point  where  I  might 
expect  it;  I  had  done  all  I  could,  and  had  done 
it  again  and  over  again.  At  this  state  of  my  feel- 
ings, some  one  meeting  me  one  evening,  said,  '  E. 
B.  is  converted.'  With  the  sound  of  that  word, 
there  arose  in  my  bosom  a  feeling  of  which  till 
that  time  I  had  remained  unconscious.  I  could 
not  have  believed  my  heart  was  so  desperately 
wicked.  For  there  burst  forth  a  spirit  of  enmity 
against  God  which  I  had  no  power  to  control.  I 
said  God  is  unjust,  I  am  as  good  as  E.  B.  is.  I 
have  prayed  as  much ;  I  have  attended  meetings 
as  much ;  I  am  as  much  entitled  to  salvation  as 
he ;  and  if  God  saves  him  and  leaves  me,  I  hate 
Him.  I  wish  I  could  destroy  Him.  My  heart 
said,  just  give  me  the  power  that  you  possess  and 
I  will  put  you  off  the  throne.  I  never  saw  any 
object  which  I  hated  as  I  then  hated  my  Maker. 
My  misery  was  extreme ;  for  I  plainly  saw  that 
God  was  on  the  throne,  and  I  was  in  Hia  hand, 

3 


26  MEMOIR  OS? 

entirely  at  His  disposal ;  yet  I  hated  Him.  I  felt 
then  the  pains  of  hell  get  hold  upon  me.  No  one 
has  had  need  since  to  prove  to  me  there  was  a 
hell ;  I  found  it  then  in  my  own  experience.  It 
seems  that  God  graciously  designed  to  make  me 
a  monument  of  His  mercy,  or  He  would  have  de- 
stroyed me  in  that  awful  and  blasphemous  spirit 
in  which  I  then  gloried.  I  can  only  say  of  that 
night,  let  it  not  be  numbered  among  the  days  of 
my  life. 

"  Next  morning,  being  May  25, 1798,  as  the  sun 
was  coming  forth,  something  seemed  to  question 
me,  evidently  with  reference  to  the  exercises  of 
the  previous  evening,  saying,  'What  have  you 
been  doing  ?'  I  said,  Fighting  against  God.  '  But,' 
said  the  inquirer,  'What  has  God  done?'  I  re- 
plied, He  is  going  to  save  E.  B.  and  not  me ; 
and  I  am  as  good  as  he  is.  '  But  has  God  done 
you  wrong  ?  Has  He  not  done  you  good  and  not 
evil  all  the  days  of  your  life  ?  Raised  you  up 
friends ;  taken  care  of  you  when  sick ;  healed  you ; 
given  you  the  Gospel  to  enjoy  ?'  And  the  goodness 
<vf  God  passed  before  me  with  a  flood  of  light, 
astonishing  and  confounding  me.  I  said,  God  has 
done  all  this.  Ah !  more.  -Yet  I  have  hated  Him 
with  all  my  heart.  Again  the  inquirer  seemed  to 
Address  me :  '  Gird  yourself  now  and  meet  your 


REV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  27 

own  engagement.  Tou  said,  last  evening,  that 
God  was  unjust.  Put  your  finger  now  upon  the 
instance  in  which  God  ever  acted  unjustly,  if  you 
can.'  I  found  myself  in  trouble.  I  looked  this 
way  and  that  for  evidence,  determined  to  establish 
the  injustice  of  God;  but  I  utterly  failed.  It 
pressed  me,  and  pressed  me  to  the  issue ;  and  I 
felt  that  I  was  condemned.  In  an  instant  it  burst 
upon  my  mind,  God  is  surely  right,  and  I  am 
wrong.  My  soul  is  lost.  You  have  destroyed 
yourself;  God  cannot  be  blamed.  He  is  clear 
when  He  condemneth.  Yet  I  exceedingly  wish 
I  could  have  been  saved.  The  character  of  God 
does  not  look  to  me  as  it  did  last  night.  Com- 
panionship with  Him  looks  delightful.  I  would 
that  I  could  dwell  with  Him.  But  that  is  now 
forever  impossible;  my  presence  would  spoil 
Heaven.  I  dare  not  ask  Him  to  save  me.  He 
may  well  save  E.  B.  and  everybody  else ;  He  will 
only  need  me  as  a  monument  of  His  just  and  holy 
indignation  against  sin  forever;  and  there  could 
not  have  been  a  fitter  one  selected  to  illustrate  the 
hatefulness  of  a  rebel  and  the  forbearance  of  God, 
still,  I  wish  I  could  have  been  saved ;  there  ap- 
pears something  attractive  and  glorious  in  the  holy 
society  of  Heaven. 

"  Again  something  seemed  to  say  to  me,  '  How 


28  MEMOEB  OF 


do  you  know  but  you  might  have  beeu  saved, 
except  for  the  wickedness  of  last  night?'  I  re- 
flected upon  my  past  life,  and  said,  That  might 
have  been  possible,  but  what  good  to  think  of  it 
now,  when  my  sin  then  was  unto  death?  Then  I 
said  to  myself,  That  was  you,  my  wicked  heart ; 
you  put  me  beyond  the  reach  of  God's  mercy  by 
the  blasphemous  indulgence  of  your  enmity  against 
God.  And  I  fell  out  with  myself  there,  and  I 
believe  I  hated  myself  then  as  much  as  I  had  God 
the  evening  previous.  I  thought  there  could  not 
be  another  such  an  abominable,  hateful,  loathe- 
some  wretch  in  the  universe  as  I  was ;  I  wished  I 
could  be  annihilated ;  not  that  I  would  lose  my 
existence,  but  the  identity  of  my  being;  I  thought  I 
would  be  ashamed  even  to  go  to  hell,  and  be  known. 

there   as  Alfred  Bennett.     It  seemed  the  devil 

• 

would  be  tormenting  me,  making  sport  of  my 
misery,  and  that  justly,  on  account  of  my  sin 
against  a  just  and  holy  God ;  I,  a  worm  of  the 
dust,  had  dared  to  blaspheme  His  name  and  defy 
Him.  But  such  a  wish  I  saw  was.  unavailing,  I 
had  sinned  in  my  own  person  and  I  must  be 
punished  in  my  own  person.  While  reflecting 
upon  the  compassion  of  God,  a  glow  of  delight 
sprang  up  within  me,  which  caused  a  smile  upon 
my  face.  This  alarmed  me  exceedingly;  for  I 


REV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  29 

thought  I  had  committed  the  unpardonable  sin 
and  laughed  in  the  presence  of  God.  And  I  said, 
That  was  you,  my  wicked  heart.  "Why  will  you 
longer  provoke  God  ?  I  know  I  must  go  to  hell ; 
there  is  no  possible  hope  for  me ;  but  I  would  not 
sin  again  against  God.  He  is  good,  and  though 
my  poor  soul  is  lost,  I  would  not  sin  any  more 
against  Him.  It  seemed  that  I  could  not  live 
through  that  day ;  I  had  no  anticipations  of  con- 
tinuing till  night  upon  the  face  of  the  earth.  In 
view  of  this,  I  said  to  the  family  at  breakfast,  I 
do  not  expect  to  live  till  night,  and  shall  probably 
not  come  in  again ;  I  wish  you  to  say  to  my 
parents  and  others,  if  need  be,  there  is  no  hope  in 
my  case ;  no  mercy  for  me ;  I  am  lost — justly 
lost ;  I  cannot  die  without  leaving  my  testimony 
behind  me  that  God  is  just.  He  is  right,  and  I 
am  wrong — altogether  wrong;  I  am  my  own 
destroyer. 

"  Thus  I  went  forth  to  my  labor,  an  object  of 
the  deepest  self-detestation,  not  wondering  that 
God  should  hate  me,  for  I  hated  myself;  I  thought 
the  very  trees  on  the  road-side  scowled  and 
lowered  at  me ;  the  grass  seemed  to  grudge  my 
touch  as  I  walked.  Nature  appeared  as  if  at  war 
with  me  on  account  of  my  wickedness.  My  bur- 
den seemed  to  weigh  a  ton,  and  I  was  sinking 
3* 


30  MEMOIR  OF 

gradually  down,  down,  down  to  the  pit  without  a 
bottom.  But  suddenly  the  strings  seemed  to 
"break,  and  it  slid  off  my  burdened  soul;  and, 
wonderful  to  relate!  starting  up,  I  found,  as  it 
appeared  to  me,  all  nature  was  changed  and  I  was 
in  a  new  world.  The  sun  shone  with  a  splendor  of 
which  I  had  before  no  conception.  The  trees, 
waving  in  beauty,  had  not  begrudged  me  exist- 
ence, nor  the  grass ;  they  were  only  praising  their 
Maker  and  acting  up  to  their  nature  and  being. 
Some  passages  of  scripture,  also,  came  sweetly  into 
my  mind ;  such  as  these :  He  was  made  sin  for 
its,  who  knew  no  sin,  that  we  might  ~be  made  the 
righteousness  of  God  in  Sim.  He  hare  our  sins 
in  His  own  body  on  the  tree.  And  something 
whispered  sweetly  to  my  soul :  This  is  the  way 
God  saves  sinners  ;  Jesu$  Christ  died  for  them. 
My  soul  melted  and  became  like  water.  I  said, 
O  blessed  Jesus  !  Thou  art  altogether  lovely !  Is 
jt  possible  that  Thou  canst  have  mercy  on  such  a 
rebellious,  sinful  worm !  And  while  considering 
the  love  of  God  and  the  plan  of  salvation  revealed 
by  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  my  soul  was "  lifted 
above  the  world ;  I  laid  down  my  implements  of 
husbandry,  for  it  seemed  to  me  I  would  not  have 
stooped  down  to  pick  up  the  world ;  I  was  over- 
whelmed with  joy,  and  said,  0  that  I  could  make 


REV.    ALFRED   BENNETT.  31 

€he  world  hear!  How  I  would  tell  them  about 
Jesus  Christ  dying  for  sinners !  I  immediately 
went  to  the  nearest  house,  not  doubting  that  they 
would  believe  me  when  I  told  them  what  was  to 
me  manifest  of  the  glory  of  God.  But  they 
seemed  alarmed.  The  woman  asked  me  a  question 
which  led  me  to  suppose  she  thought  the  change  was 
in  me  (for  up  to  this  time  I  had  conceived  that  it 
was  in  the  real  appearance  of  the  world) ;  and  I 
said,  "What  if  it  be  true  that  this  change  is  only 
in  me  and  this  prove  all  delusion  now?  Still, 
thought  I,  it  is  a  happy  delusion,  and  I  cannot 
give  it  up  yet.  I  left  and  went  to  my  father's, 
where  I  found  some  congenial  spirits  who  under- 
stood the  real  import  of  such  language.  From 
thence  I  sought  E.  B.,  and  spent  the  day  most 
happily  from  house  to  house  in  company  with 
converts.  I  loved  God ;  I  loved  the  Saviour ;  and 
it  was  the  high  purpose  of  my  soul  to  live  for  Hia 
glory. 

"In  this  resolution  I  was  firmly  settled.  For 
why  should  I  transgress  the  law  of  God  again? 
Why  not  live  to  please  Him ;  then  die  to  praise 
Him  ?  Sin  seemed  too  degrading  to  be  thought  of 
by  such  a  favored  one,  as  it  now  appeared  I  had 
been.  With  this  happy  frame  of  mind  I  took  my 
place  in  social  .worship,  exhorting  the  godly  to 


32  MEMOIB   OF 

hold  fast  their  profession  without  wavering,  and 
sinners  to  repent  and  believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  In-  Him  there  seemed  such  glorious  ful- 
ness; He  was  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost  all 
that  came  unto  God  by  Him." 


CHAPTER  III, 

A    DKEAM. 

AT  this  point  a  mysterious  event  occurred, 
which  cast  a  dark  shadow  over  his  spiritual  hopes 
for  many  years.  Different  views  will  doubtless  be 
entertained  respecting  its  nature ;  but  affecting  so 
deeply  as  it  did  his  religious  character  and  enjoy- 
ments, it  claims  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  annals 
of  his  life.  The  fervor  of  his  imagination,  indeed, 
combined  with  emotions  of  heart  capable  of  the 
most  intense  excitement,  is  sufficiently  marked  in 
the  history  of  his  conversion,  and  must  have  re- 
minded the  intelligent  reader  of  the  peculiarities  so 
strikingly  developed  in  the  character  of  Banyan, 
as  delineated  in  his  inimitable  autobiography — 
grace  abounding  to  the  chief  of  sinners.  But  the 
exercises  of  his  mind  previous  to  the  night  here 


REV.   ALFRED   BENXETT.  33 

referred  to,  during  the  month  which  had  now 
elapsed  since  his  conversion,  were  those  of  joyful 
fruits  and  hope,  and  it  does  not  appear  that  any 
thing  had  occurred  which,  by  the  ordinary  laws 
of  mental  action,  would  naturally  lead  to  such  a 
dream.  Not  one  dark  hour  had  dimmed  his  view 
of  Christ,  or  thrown  its  baleful  shade  over  his 
prospects  of  blessedness. 

"  One  night,"  he  remarked,  "  I  retired  to  rest  as 
usual,  and  in  my  sleep  thought  I  was  dead.  I 
could  look  back,  and  see  them  preparing  to  bury 
nry  body.  It  seemed  to  me  I  was  conscious  that 
I  was  dead,  but  I  was  miserable.  I  had  come  up 
almost  to  heaven,  but  stepped  one  step  short  of  it, 
and  was  sinking  gradually  but  certainly  down  to 
hell.  I  did  not  see  God,  nor  heaven,  nor  hell; 
but  was  in  indescribable  anguish  of  spirit  through 
fear  of  the  great  white  throne  and  Him  that  sat 
upon  it,  which  appeared  to  be  approaching  in  all 
its  terrors.  Looking  up,  I  said,  There !  He  is 
coming.  The  heavens  will  break,  and  I  shall  see 
Him,  and  He  will  frown  upon  me.  At  this  mo- 
ment my  father  passed  me.  He  was  unspeakably 
happy  in  anticipation  of  the  very  thing  which  I 
dreaded — the  coming  of  the  Just  One.  "We  recog- 
nized the  relations  which  had  existed,  but  they 
remained  no  longer;  all  natural  affections  had 


34  MEMOIR  OF 

ceased  on  the  part  of  both.  And  here  eternity 
seemed  to  open  to  my  mind  as  it  is,  and  as,  it 
now  seems  to  me,  it  will  appear  again  in  reality — 
endless,  boundless.  On  the  right  hand,  the  state 
of  the  righteous,  on  the  left  hand,  the  condition 
of  the  wicked,  was  unalterably  fixed;  God's 
immutable  purpose  being  the  great  gulph  be- 
tween. Here  I  awoke,  and  was  in  such  a  state 
of  nervous  agitation,  that  the  bed  was  rocking 
beneath  me. 

"  Something  seemed  immediately  to  say,  '  You 
are  a  hypocrite.'  My  heart  replied,  I  fear  I  am. 
4  Why  yes,'  said  the  accuser,  '  God  has  just  shown 
it  to  you,'  and  my  trembling  soul  fell  in  with  the 
suggestion.  I  said,  Woe  is  me  !  I  am  undone ! 
Darkness  came  over  my  mind,  dense  as  that  over 
Egypt;  it  was  darkness  that  could  be  felt.  My 
comfort  in  religion  was  gone,  for  I  had  no  hope. 
My  pleasures  in  this  life  were  lost,  for  I  had  nothing 
worth  living  for.  My  prospects  were  all  blasted. 
I  was  but  almost  a  Christian,  and  should  never  be 
permitted  to  enter  with  joy  the  pearly  gates,  and 
tread  the  golden  streets  of  the  New  Jerusalem. 
The  scene  was  changed.  From  the  heights  of  the 
most  buoyant  hope,  I  was  cast  down  to  the  depths 
of  despair.  My  friends  sought  to  know  the  cause. 
I  could  only  say,  lam  deceived; -I  am  a  hypocrite ; 


KEV.    ALFRED   BENNETT.  85 

I  am  lost.  I  dared  not  reveal  to  them  the  reason ; 
for,  I  thought,  these  young  converts  are  Christians 
— I  have  no  doubt  of  that ;  and  this  was  not  given 
for  their  benefit,  but  for  mine.  If  they  should  see 
that  I  am  not  a  Christian,  they  might  doubt  the 
reality  of  their  own  exercises,  and  give  themselves 
needless  sorrow.  I  kept  my  place  in  the  room 
for  prayer,  laboring  to  establish  Christians,  warn- 
ing them  of  the  danger  of  deception,  exhorting  all 
to  a  careful,  Scriptural,  prayerful  examination  of 
their  hope,  and  entreating  sinners  to  be  reconciled 
to  God,  with  more  fervency  than  ever  before. 
For,  I  thought,  if  I  must  be  finally  lost,  I  would 
not  have  them.  When  godly  ministers  preached, 
the  description  they  gave  of  the  righteous  and 
their  prospects  was  to  me  glowing  and  animating ; 
my  heart  would  warm  under  it.  But  still  it  was 
not  for  me ;  I  was  but  a  hypocrite,  and  might  not 
take  the  children's  bread ;  I  had  no  right  to  be 
in  their  society,  however  desirable  it  appeared. 
And  when  they  described  the  wicked  and  their 
awful  doom,  my  soul  revolted  at  the  thought  of 
eternal  companionship  with  them,  for  I  loathed 
sin.  I  said,  "Would  God  I  could  have  been  saved 
from  such  a  doom ! 

"  Thus  I  would  go  home,  finding  nothing  to  re- 
fresh iny  wounded,  sinking,  perishing  soul,  and 


36  MEMOIK   OF 

for  three  months  I  had  no  quiet.  A  Christian's 
hope  appeared  to  be  forbidden :  God  had  said  I 
must  not  indulge  it.  Still  sin  was  a  burden  to  me, 
and  it  was  my  delight  to  pray  and  mingle  with 
Christians  and  read  the  Holy  Scriptures.  I  had 
continual  sorrow  at  my  heart,  and  was  sinking  into 
a  settled  melancholy.  My  parents  and  friends, 
with  much  patience  and  affection,  sought  to  remove 
the  difficulty,  fearing  that  I  should  become  derang- 
ed under  it ;  but  I  strove  the  rather  to  fortify  my- 
self, and  resist  their  kindest  efforts.  At  last  my 
mother  said,  '  My  son,  do  you  not  think  you  have 
had  light?'  I  admitted  I  had,  and  great  light  too. 
She  replied,  iLi/ve  up  then  to  the  light  ycni  have 
had.'1  This  was  effectual.  I  saw  at  a  glance  that, 
let-me  go  to  heaven  or  hell  at  last,  it  was  my  duty 
to  serve  God :  I  had  light  enough  to  direct  my 
course  in  that.  I  saw  that  for  a  man  to  serve 
God  because  he  was  going  to  heaven,  was  mere 
selfishness.  It  was  my  duty  to  serve  God  in  holi- 
ness, leaving  my  future  destiny  in  His  keeping 
entirely.  This  led  me  at  once  into  the  perform- 
ance of  all  the  duties  enjoined  upon  a  Christian. 
I  had  light  enough  to  see  that  His  claims  upon  me 
were  paramount.  After  this,  some  little  glimpse 
pf  hope  would  occasionally  appear  to  my  mind, 
but  vanish  almost  as  soon  as  seen.  In  this  state 


KEY.   ALFRED  BENNETT.  37 

X 

of  anxiety  respecting  my  spiritual  condition,  my 
mind  continued  about  fifteen  years. 

"This  event  in  my  religious  experience  has 
been  seldom  referred  to  during  my  life ;  and  if  I 
am  here  asked,  after  fifty  years'  observation  and 
reflection,  what  is  my  own  opinion  of  it,  I  must 
answer :  There  can  be  but  two  views  taken  of  the 
matter.  The  impression  it  made  upon  me  was 
either  true  or  not  true.  If  the  former,  then  I  am 
what  it  at  that  time  seemed  I  was,  a  hypocrite,  a 
deceived  person,  lost  to  all  hope  of  heaven  forever. 
And  if  this  be  so,  it  is  just.  God  has  shown  me 
that  I  have  destroyed  myself ;  though  it  is  a  most 
fearful  thing  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  living 
God,  a  subject  of  His  punishment.  If  it  was  not 
true,  then  it  was  directed  to  exercise  my  mind,  as 
a  disciplinary  antidote  against  the  uprisings  of 
my  naturally  volatile  disposition,  and  as  a  thorn 
in  my  flesh,  a  messenger  of  Satan  to  buffet  me,  to 
keep  in  check  those  workings  of  spiritual  pride 
which  might  otherwise  have  proved  my  ruin. 

"After  my  public  profession  of  Christ,"  he  con- 
tinues, "fearful  forebodings  of  my  future  ruin 
would  still  stand  as  a  sentinel  at  the  presentment 
of  every  duty,  to  keep  me  back  from  its  perform- 
ance ;  and  I  went  as  a  man  with  a  rope  about  his 
neck,  conscious  of  deserving  only  execution,  yet 


38  MEMOIR   OF 

desirous  of  serving  and  pleasing  God.  "With  little 
hope  of  success,  and  much  less  of  my  personal  sal- 
vation, I  entered  the  ministry,  impelled  only  by 
the  all-controlling  principle  of  acting  up  to  the 
light  given  me.  '  For,'  I  said,  '  it  is  my  duty  to 
endeavor  to  prevent  others  from  going  down  to 
destruction,  if  I  must  at  last  go  thither  myself.' 
Thus  shut  out  from  hope,  I  was  urged  to  duty  by 
the  sternness  of  circumstances,  scarcely  free  for 
an  hour  at  a  time  from  the  awful  apprehensions 
arising  from  the  suggestion  ever  sounding  in  my 
ears, '  You  are  a  hypocrite,  you  are  a  hypocrite.' 
Years  passed  on  with  fearful  conflicts  and  fore- 
bodings in  my  own  soul,  unknown  to  any  human 
being.  Occasions  occurred  when  my  mind  en- 
joyed enlargement,  peculiar  comfort  in  prayer 
and  in  the  ministration  of  the  Word.  This  would 
cheer  me  for  the  time.  I  would  say,  Is  it  not 
possible  after  all  that  I  am  a  Christian  ?  I  will 
be  candid  in  the  examination  of  the  matter,  and 
not  look  only  on  the  dark  side.  I  have  enjoyed 
comfort  in  my  own  soul,  both  in  private  exercises 
and  the  public  labors  of  the  ministry.  The  evi- 
dence is  before  me  that  the  church  has  been  built 
up  and  prospered  under  my  labors ;  sinners,  also, 
have  been  converted  and  added  to  the  church, 
making  sound  and  healthy  numbers.  And  is  this 


BEV.    ALFRED   BENNETT.  39 

no  evidence  ?  "Would  God  thus  show  me  favor  if 
I  was  not  His  child  ?  Then  it  would  return  upon 
me,  What  evidence  is  all  this  ?  Do  not  the  Scrip- 
tures say,  The  stranger  shall  feed  yoivr  flocks,  and 
the  sons  of  the  alien  shall  be  your  vine-dressers  ? 
This  also  accords  with  the  ordinary  workings  of 
nature.  Does  not  the  farmer  have  his  ploughs,  and 
drags,  and  implements  of  culture,  to  fit  the  soil  and 
aid  in  maturing  his  crop  ?  But  when  their  work 
is  done,  they  are  broken  to  pieces  and  burned  up. 
So  it  will  be  with  you  when  God  has  done  with 
your  service.  Did  he  not  speak  the  truth  by 
Balaam,  although  he  loved  the  wages  of  unrighte- 
ousness, and  died  among  the  profane  ?  "Was  not 
Saul  among  the  prophets  for  a  time,  although  he 
sought  to  witches  before  he  died  ?  Had  not  the 
Saviour  a  Judas  in  His  company,  till  he  accom- 
plished as  an  hireling  his  day,  when  he  died,  and 
went  to  his  own  place  ?  "What  right,  then,  have 
you  to  think  you  are  a  Christian  because  of  these 
incidental  tokens  of  usefulness  ?  Thus  was  I  har- 
assed with  fears,  which  constantly  kept  me  hum- 
ble at  the  feet  of  Christ.  I  could  do  nothing 
without  Him. 

"During  those  seasons  of  revival  which  were 
experienced  in  Homer,  my  mind  would  be  so  much 
engrossed  with  the  welfare  of  others,  that  I  had  uo 


40  MEMOIR   OF 

time  to  devote  to  my  own  state.  Although  in- 
wardly there  were  heavy  conflicts  which  wasted 
my  physical  strength,  I  dared  not  reveal  the  secret 
of  my  suffering  to  the  people :  it  seemed  that  it 
could  do  no  good,  and  it  might  do  much  harm. 
I^ow,  it  was  like  the  secret  whisperings  of  an 
enemy,  piercing  through  every  avenue  of  my  soul ; 
and  again,  it  would  be  a  loud  and  boisterous  as- 
sault, like  an  army  rushing  to  victory,  and  saying 
with  trumpet  tones,  What  right  have  you  here  ? 
You  are  a  hypocrite.  And  my  quivering  heart 
would  answer,  I  fear  I  am.  The  scenes  of  that 
night  would  again  vividly  pass  before  my  mind 
and  sink  me  in  despair.  Thus  I  went  bowing 
under  sorrows,  goaded  with  fears,  and  would  often 
cry,  Thou  Lamb  of  God !  to  whom  should  I  go, 
but  unto  Thee  ?  Thou  hast  the  words  of  eternal 
life.  My  soul  clings  to  Thy  cross,  and  pleads  Thy 
precious,  pardoning  blood.  With  Thee  to  sustain 
me,  I  will  venture  on.  In  the  midst  of  these  har- 
rowing sensations,  there  would  be  occasionally  a 
temporary  relief.  Perhaps  during  the  public  ex- 
ercises of  the  Sabbath,  I  would  forget  myself,  lost 
in  the  charms  of  the  Saviour.  I  would  have  great 
freedom  in  prayer,  and  peculiar  nearness  to  the 
Throne ;  unusual  light  and  power  would  attend  the 
opening  of  the  Scriptures,  aiding  me  in  the  argu- 


KEV.   ALFRED  BENNETT.  41 

ment  and  carrying  me  beyond  myself  in  the 
blessed  work  of  preaching  the  Gospel  of  the  grace 
of  God.  Heaven  would  appear  with  such  bright- 
ness, as  the  place  where  God  reigns  and  Jesus 
dwells,  that  I  would  urge  the  saints  to  look  upward 
and  take  courage,  press  on  and  be  faithful  unto 
death ;  the  conflict  would  soon  be  over,  and  then, 
oh  then!  what  a  rest  remained  beyond!  What 
rejoicings  would  fill  the  bosoms  of  saints  in  that 
world  of  glory !  My  heart  would  yearn  over  sin- 
ners. With  overwhelming  interest  in  my  own 
soul,  I  urged  upon  them  arguments  to  repent  and 
believe  the  Gospel,  till  many  in  the  congregation 
would  be  melted  into  tears ;  and  I  would  say, 
How  shall  I  give  theeup,  O  EpTirairnf  while  still 
there  would  be  an  inward  consciousness  that  I  had 
discharged  my  duty,  and  should  they  perish,  I 
was  pure  from  their  blood.  Yet  immediately  after 
this,  perhaps  while  some  brother  was  closing  the 
meeting  by  prayer,  it  would  come  rushing  upon 
me,  like  a  tornado :  '  You  have  been  telling  Chris- 
tians about  the  blessedness  of  Heaven,  but  you 
will  never  go  there ;  it  is  not  for  you.  You  are  a 
hypocrite.'  And  my  spirit  would  fall  in  with  the 
suggestion,  and  again  that  night  and  its  dream 
would  pass  with  terrible  distinctness  before  me. 
I  would  be  manacled  and  carried  back  to  that  ex- 


4:2  MEMOIR  OF 

ercise  which  filled  me  with  such  darkness  and 
confusion,  and  before  the  brother  had  closed  his 
prayer,  my  thoughts  would  be  in  such  tumult, 
that  I  could  not  tell  what  to  say  in  dismissing  the 
assembly.  Fearing  I  might  use  some  improper 
expression,  I  took  much  pains  to  fix  firmly  in  my 
mind  the  benediction  of  the  apostle :  The  grace  of 
OUT  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  love  of  God,  and  the 
communion  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  be  with  you  all. 
Amen. 

"  Bound  thus,  hand  and  foot,  I  knew  not  what 
to  do,  nor  whither  to  fly.  I  dreaded  appointments 
to  preach ;  and  time  passed  on  with  little  or  no 
comfort  in  my  own  soul  in  the  work  of  the  minis- 
try. Sometimes  encouragement  came  from  this 
expression :  He  knoweth  the  way  that  I  take,  and 
when  He  hath  tried  me  I  shall  come  forth  like 
gold.  Again,  I  was  distressed  and  cast  down  lest 
He  should  say — and  if  He  did,  I  knew  it  would 
be  just — as  He  did  to  Israel  when  in  the  hand  of 
their  enemies :  Why  seek  ye  unto  me  f  Seek  ye 
unto  the  gods  that  ye  have  chosen/  for  I  will  de- 
liver you  no  more.  It  seemed  to  settle,  at  length, 
like  a  disease  upon  my  mind,  until  my  health  gave 
way  under  it.  My  appetite  and  strength  failed. 
It  was  as  an  incubus  constantly  pressing  upon  me 
above  strength,  so  that  I  despaired  of  life. 


REV.    ALFRED  BENNETT.  43. 

"One  afternoon,  after  having  preached  in  a 
neighboring  town  and  enjoyed  much  comfort  du- 
ring the  exercise,  darkness  had  as  usual  succeeded, 
making  me  exceedingly  nervous.  About  dusk 
two  men  called  at  the  house  where  I  was  enter- 
tained, to  obtain  refreshment  for  the  night.  I  was 
introduced  to  them  as  a  Baptist  minister  who  bad 
preached  that  afternoon  in  the  neighborhood. 
They  said  in  return,  '  We  are  very  glad  to  meet 
you,  sir,  and  become  acquainted.  We,  also,  are 
friends  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  denomination.  We  are  from  the 
State  of  Vermont,  on  our  way  down  the  Ohio 
river  into  the  new  country.'  I  replied,  I  do  not 
know  what  advantage  it  can  be  to  you  to  make 
my  acquaintance;  for  I  am  but  a  hypocrite  at 
best.  There,  thought  I,  what  did  I  say  that  for? 
Fool  that  I  was,  to  utter  that  expression.  If  it  is 
true,  I  need  not  have  told  them  of  it ;  they  are 
strangers.  Too  many  are  disposed  now  to  make 
accusations  against  us  as  a  denomination.  These 
men,  as  they  go  their  way,  may  hear  reproaches 
cast  upon  us,  and  will  join  the  accusers,  saying, 
no  doubt  these  things  are  so,  for  as  we  came 
through  the  State  of  Xew  York,  we  fell  in  with  a 
Baptist  minister  in  reputable  standing  who  hon- 
estly told  us  he  was  nothing  but  a  hypocrite.  The 


44  MEMOIR   OF 

expression  I  had  used  so  preyed  upon  my  mind, 
lest  it  might  become  matter  of  reproach  to  the 
cause,  that  I  resolved  to  give  them  the  full  reasons 
for  it;  thinking,  also,  that  as  they  were  men  of 
experience,  something  might  be  suggested  to  my 
benefit.  I  therefore  rehearsed  to  them  in  detail 
the  exercise  I  had  in  my  sleep.  They  listened 
with  attention,  and  at  the  close  one  of  them  look- 
ing at  the  other  said,  '  Do  you  believe  a  Christian 
ever  felt  the  pains  of  hell?'  'No,'  replied  his 
companion,  '  I  do  not.'  '  Nor  I  either,'  said  the 
first,  with  a  significant  nod  of  the  head  and  wink 
of  the  eye.  Now,  thought  I,  my  case  is  hopeless. 
For  I  am  sure  I  have  tasted  the  bitterness  of  the 
cup  of  sorrow,  and  these  men,  who  are  compe- 
tent to  judge,  do  not  believe  I  am  a  Christian. 
My  friends,  when  at  any  time  I  have  hinted  at  the 
thing,  have  wondered  that  I  should  be  so  foolish 
as  to  let  a  dream  trouble  me  so :  but  these  men 
are  candid,  they  have  no  interest  in  the  matter, 
and  have  judged  impartially.  Thus  my  sorrows 
increased  and  the  floods  overwhelmed  my  soul. 
For  several  weeks  my  mind  was  a  prey  to  every 
alarming  thought.  I  did  not  so  much  dread  the 
pains  of  hell,  as  I  did  the  loss  of  holy  society :  my 
fear  was  to  be  shut  out  of  Heaven. 

"One  day,  while  musing,  these  words  came 


REV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  45 

suddenly  with  power  upon  my  mind :  The  pains 
of  hell  gat  hold  upon  me;  I  found  trouble  and 
sorrow.  It  seemed  to  lift  me  a  thousand  feet  high 
in  a  moment ;  for  I  said,  David  was  certainly  a 
saint.  Yet  he  says  the  pains  of  hell  gat  hold  upon 
him,  and  who  knows  but  I  may  be  a  Christian  yet ! 
I  had  no  evidence  that  I  was,  but  the  possibility 
that  I  might  be,  the  bare  idea  that  there  was  a 
chance  of  my  being  a  Christian,  was  sweeter  and 
more  precious  to  my  soul  than  all  the  pleasures  of 
earth  or  the  gold  in  a  thousand  mines.  From  this 
time  my  mind  underwent  a  great  change  in  regard 
to  my  spiritual  state.  It  became  a  mount  of  ob- 
servation. I  thought,  I  have  now  been  for  many 
years  filled  with  apprehensions  respecting  my  fu- 
ture welfare.  My  anxieties  have  been  intense.  A 
careful  survey  and  review  of  my  evidences  of 
Christian  character  has  been  carried  as  far  as  it  is 
possible  for  me  to  carry  it  this  side  of  positive 
certainty,  and  what  have  I  gained  ?  It  has  broken 
my  rest  and  wasted  my  strength.  I  will  therefore 
give  up  this  long-agitated  question  of  my  future 
happiness  or  misery,  leaving  my  soul  in  the  hands 
of  God.  to  be  disposed  of  by  Him.  I  will  endeavor 
to  live  in  such  a  manner  that  I  may  enjoy  the 
company  of  the  saints  in  this  life,  even  if  I  am 
excluded  from  them  in  another.  My  mind  at  once 


46  MEMOIR  OF 

became  more  calm  and  steadfast  in  the  exercise  of 
confidence  in  Jesus  Christ.  About  the  same  time, 
also,  the  remark  was  made  in  my  hearing  by  a 
Christian  friend  whose  judgment  I  much  respect- 
ed, that  people  would  doubtless  have  in  another 
world  the  company  of  such  as  they  preferred  in 
this.  I  was  greatly  encouraged  by  this  thought ; 
for  I  certainly  knew  that  here  I  loved  Christian 
society  best.  Thus,  through  the  rich  grace  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  I  obtained  such  a  victory  over 
the  temptation  as,  in  a  great  measure,  to  secure  a 
stable  peace ;  notwithstanding,  even  to  this  day, 
which  is  more  than  fifty  years,  the  impressions 
of  that  night  will  at  times  distress  me. 

"  In  reflection  upon  this  trial,  I  have  often  been 
led  to  remark  that  God  has  brought  from  it  signal 
good  to  others  in  my  ministry.  During  those 
seasons  of  revival  which  were  so  richly  experienced 
here,  I  had  frequent  occasion  to  scrutinize  the 
workings  of  the  depraved  heart,  and  detect  in 
others  the  various  deceptive  windings  of  sin,  and 
pride,  and  unbelief,  with  which  I  had  become  fa- 
miliar in  my  own  exercises.  It  was  thus  of  much 
service  to  me  in  helping  young  converts  to  settle 
upon  a  right  foundation,  and  preventing  deceived 
souls  and  hypocrites  from  taking  shelter  in  some 
refuge  of  lies  After  service  one  Sabbath,  an 


REV.    ALFRED   BEXNF.TT.  47 

honest,  sincere  soul  came  to  me  and  said,  'You 
have  taken  away  to-day  all  the  hope  I  have  that  1 
am  a  Christian.'  I  replied,  My  dear  young  friend, 
if  you  have  no  better  hope  than  that,  the  sooner 
you  are  rid  of  it  the  better.  A  Christian's  hope 
is  based  on  Jesus  Christ  and  sustained  by  the 
truth;  therefore  the  ministry  of  the  Gospel  will 
not  harm  it,  but  strengthen  it.  Go  to  your  home 
now ;  take  your  Bible  and  enter  your  closet,  and 
let  this  .question  be  settled  between  God  and  your 
soul.  This  issued  in  a  most  blessed  state  of  con- 
fidence in  Christ,  which  was  attained  very  soon 
after.  Again,  when  a  disposition  was  manifested 
among  young  converts  to  enter  the  church,  I  would 
take  occasion  to  bring  before  them  the  solemnity 
and  importance  of  such  a  relation,  showing  the 
awful  condition  of  a  soul  there,  if  mistaken  in  the 
foundation  of  its  hope ;  because,  having  obtained 
fellowship  with  the  church  as  a  Christian,  there 
was  imminent  danger  of  slumbering  over  its  true 
Btate,  to  its  eternal  destruction.  This  course,  while 
it  put  them  upon  great  self-examination  respecting 
their  own  case,  also  tended  to  elevate  the  character 
of  the  church,  both  in  their  estimation  and  in  the 
eyes  of  the,  world;  fixing  the  impression  upon 
every  mind  that  there  could  be  no  possible  good 
resulting  from  a  connection  with  it  as  members, 


4:3  MEMOIR  OF 

unless  the  Spirit  of  Christ  reigned  within  the 
heart." 

This  narrative  has  anticipated,  in  the  order  of 
time,  much  that  is  now  to  follow,  but  it  was 
deemed  best  to  present  the  remarkable  exercise 
here  related,  with  its  effects  at  one  view.  The 
reader  will,  therefore,  return  to  the  scenes  of 
revival  in  Mansfield. 

The  spiritual  despondency  occasioned  by  the 
painful  impressions  of  this  dream  was  not  allowed 
to  interfere  with  the  discharge  of  Christian  duties. 
Settled  firmly  in  the  principle  that,  however  it 
might  please  God  to  dispose  of  him  at  last,  though 
his  portion  should  be  assigned  among  the  lost,  as 
he  felt  it  might  justly  be,  it  was  still  his  solemn 
duty  to  devote  himself,  with  every  faculty  of  his 
soul,  to  the  service  of  God ;  he  continued  to  fill  the 
position  of  an  active  Christian,  earnestly  engaged 
in  the  work  of  religion  and  the  scenes  of  stirring 
spiritual  interest  around  him.  He  saw  many 
others  pass  from  the  agonies  of  conviction  and 
despair  into  the  blessedness  of  pardon  and  hope. 
The  songs  of  praise  from  new-born  souls  were  con- 
tinually sounding  in  his  ears,  and  revived  saints 
who  had  long  been  walking  in  darkness,  filled 
now  with  clearer  and  richer  anticipations  of  enter- 
ing the  presence  of  God,  spake  of  joys  unutterable 


REV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  49 

and  full  of  glory.  But  the  shades  of  death  hung 
with  dark  and  portentous  gloom  over  the  future 
before  him.  There  was  to  his  ear  a  holy  melody 
in  the  praises  of  God,  while  yet  he  anticipated, 
with  awful  dread,  an  eternity  amidst  wailing  and 
gnashing  of  teeth.  His  soul  joined  with  heavenly 
fervor  in  the  supplications  which  rose  to  Him 
"  within  the  veil,"  and  longed  for  that  hope  of  the 
children  of  God  which  is  fastened  there  upon  the 
eternal  throne ;  but  fear  still  drove  him  as  an 
outcast  even  from  the  mercy-seat.  He  loved  the 
companionship  of  the  saints  far  above  all  worldly 
associations,  and  it  was  the  prospect  of  being 
separated  forever  from  their  holy  society  and 
mingling  with  the  wicked,  which  formed  the  chief 
ingredient  in  his  prospective  cup  of  misery.  Like 
good  Mr.  Fearing,  whose  character  is  described 
with  such  graphic  power  in  the  Pilgrim's  Progress, 
he  never  thought  of  turning  back  to  the  world. 
The  paths  of  sin  had  lost  their  attraction.  "  Diffi- 
culties, lions,  or  Vanity  Fair,  he  feared  not  at  all ; 
it  was  only  sin,  death,  and  hell,  that  were  to  him 
a  terror,  because  he  had  doubts  about  his  interest 
in  that  celestial  country." 

He  was  baptized  on  the  first  Sabbath  in  February, 
1800,  and  united  with  the  Baptist  church  in 
Hampton,  Conn., — then  under  the  pastoral  care 


50      *  MEMOIR    OP 

of  Rev.  Abel  Palmer.  This  step  was  taken,  as  he 
remarked,  only  "after  strong  conflicts  of  mind, 
much  self-examination,  and  fervent  prayer  and 
wrestlings  with  God  for  direction." 


CHAPTER  IV, 

ENTRANCE     ON     THE    MINISTRY. 

MR.  BENNETT  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Ehoda  Grow,  a  daughter  of  Deacon  Thomas  Grow, 
of  Hampton,  in  November,  1802. 

A  general  spirit  of  emigration  was  beginning  at 
that  time  to  prevail  in  New  England,  and  its 
course  turned  mainly  towards  Central  and  "Western 
New  York.  That  region  was  then  "  the  "West./' 
and  much  of  it  which  is  filled  now  with  an  active, 
intelligent  population,  and  covered  with  the  pro- 
ductions of  industry  and  art,  was  an  unbroken 
wilderness.  Nearly  all  the  cities  west  of  Albany, 
whose  streets  are  at  this  day  thronged  with  a  busy 
populace  and  lined  with  the  mansions  of  opulence 
and  refinement,  were  then  unbuilt.  No  steam- 
boat had  yet  plied  upon  the  waters  of  the  Hudson, 


KEV.   ALFEED   BENNETT.  51 

or  disturbed  the  quiet  of  the  Indian  in  his  hunting 
grounds  upon  the  lakes ;  and  the  most  enthusiastic 
imagination  had  not  conceived  the  magnificent 
palaces  which  now  float  there.  The  iron  horses 
which  fly  through  the  length  and  breadth  of  that 
country,  and  the  canals  bearing  upon  their  bosoms 
the  wealth  of  a  nation,  had  not  once  entered  the 
thought  of  man.  But  the  emigrant,  with  his  ox- 
team,  conveying  the  whole  of  his  earthly  posses- 
sions, might  be  seen  threading  his  way  slowly 
through  the  wilderness,  directed  often  only  by 
marked  trees  to  the  place  of  his  destination. 
Here  and  there  a  log  cabin,  with  a  small  clearing 
around  it,  gave  indications  of  the  hand  of  industry 
and  civilization ;  while  a  tavern  and  a  rudely  con- 
structed school-house,  which  served  also  for  a 
church,  formed  the  nucleus  of  some  future  village. 
The  hardy  adventurer  here  contended  with  the 
forests  for  subsistence;  and  in  much  privation, 
with  vigorous  arm  secured  for  himself  a  habitation, 
and  an  earthly  competence. 

Many  of  these  emigrants  were  from  the  best 
families  of  New  England.  They  brought  with 
them,  in  frequent  instances,  the  religious  fruits 
and  elevated  morality  which  characterized  the 
home  of  their  fathers.  The  institutions  of  religion 
were  immediately  established  among  them.  Often 


52  MEMOIR  OF 

was  the  family  found,  remote  from  other  dwellings, 
gathered  morning  and  evening  around  the  domestic 
altar;  while  on  the  Sabbath,  the  neighbors  for 
miles  round,  coming  through  the  forests  to  some 
appointed  place,  would  assemble  for  praise  and 
prayer.  Sermons  they  seldom  had,  except  when 
read  by  some  of  their  number  from  the  printed 
volume;  but  their  prayers  went  up  no  less  fer- 
vently before  the  throne,  and  the  earnest  exhorta- 
tion fell  \vith  the  greater  sweetness  upon  the  soul. 
"Not  a  few  are  the  villages  and  towns  in  Central 
New  Tork  on  which  the  godly  principles  and 
moral  habits  of  these  early  settlers  have  left  a  holy 
impress  that  is  not  yet  effaced :  the  order,  intelli- 
gence, and  piety  still  apparent  are  a  sacred  legacy 
which  their  children  now  enjoy. 

Mr.  Bennett  became  a  resident  of  the  town  of 
Homer,'  Cortland  (then  Onondaga)  Co.,  N.  T.,  in 
February,  1803. 

That  region  was  then  comparatively  a  wilder- 
ness. The  first  family  had  taken  up  its  residence 
there  in  1793 ;  and  in  the  following  year,  being 
joined  by  a  few  others,  mostly  religious  people, 
from  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts,  meetings  for 
prayer  and  exhortation  were  established,  in  which 
all  united.  Churches,  however,  were  subse- 
quently formed.  When  Mr.  Bennett  arrived,  no 


REV.    ALFRED  BENNETT.  53 

house  of  worship  had  been  built ;  the  Baptist 
church,  which  was  the  first  organized  in  the  town 
of  any  denomination,  worshipped  in  private  dwell- 
ings, and  the  Congregational  church  met  in  the 
only  framed  building  in  the  village  (with  one 
exception),  which  was  also  used  as  a  town  and 
school  house.  Here  he  began  life  as  a  farmer,  in 
a  log-house,  with  the  forests  around  him  to  be 
felled  by  his  own  arm. 

The  little  Baptist  church,  with  which  he  united  . 
in  April,  1804,  was  subjected  to  much  trial  in  its 
early  history.  It  was  rarely  they  enjoyed  the 
ministry  of  the  Word;  and,  with  few  experienced 
members,  widely  scattered  and  exposed  to  all  the 
temptation  as  well  as  privation  of  a  new  country, 
it  may  well  be  supposed  that,  though  gifted  with 
some  of  the  excellent  of  the  earth,  there  were  some 
also  whom  Satan  would  lead  astray.  In  a  letter 
directed  to  his  brother  Alvin,  dated  Homer,  Sept. 
2,  1804,  are  the  following  remarks : 

"  I  am  exceedingly  happy  to  learn  that  God  has 
deigned  to  visit  you  in  that  country  and  display 
some  of  His  glorious  perfections ;  that  the  cries  of 
the  wounded  and  the  shouts  of  those  who  sing  for 
joy  have  been  heard  among  you.  O  that  I  could 
say  that  this  is  the  case  here !  But,  alas,  quite  the 
contrary.  Iniquity  abounds,  and  the  love  of  many, 
5* 


54  MEMOIR  OF 

who  appeared  to  be  zealous  advocates  of  Jesus, 
grows  cold ;  some  deserting  the  cause,  others  halt- 
ing between  two  'opinions.  Infidelity  rears  its 
head,  and  what  Truth  calls  damnable  heresies  are 
fast  creeping  in  among  us.  As  a  people,  we  are — 
I  had  like  to  have  said,  on  the  eve  of  destruction. 
But  I  recall  it ;  for  the  foundation  standeth  sure. 
For  God  the  Omnipotent  Lord  is  at  the  helm  of 
government,  and  He  cometh  upon  princes  as 
upon  mortar  and  as  the  potter  kneadeth  clay, 
smiling  at  the  weak  efforts  of  sin  and  the  powers 
of  darkness  to  oppose  Him.  For  of  the  increase 
of  His  government  and  peace  there  shall  be  no 
end." 

The  country  was  then  in  almost  primitive  wild- 
ness.  Dense  forests  extended  over  large  tracts,  as 
yet  unbroken  by  the  hand  of  civilization,  from 
whose  recesses  the  bear  and  the  fox  often  issued, 
and  made  depredations  in  the  barnyards  of  the 
scattered  settlers.  Amusing  incidents  are  handed 
down  of  the  warfare  between  the  early  pioneers 
and  the  wild  animals  which  prowled  around  their 
habitations.  On  one  occasion,  it  is  related,  a  huge 
bear  having  come  out  at  nightfall  from  a  neigh- 
boring thicket  and  carried  off  a  large  hog,  Mr. 
Bennett  hearing  the  alarm  hastily  took  his  gun 
and  went  in  chase.  It  was  loaded  only  with  buck- 


REV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  55 

shot,  and  having  no  balls  at  hand  he  thrust  the 
ramrod  into  the  barrel  as  a  substitute.  The  bear, 
finding  itself  pursued,  turned  and  showed  a  dis- 
position to  do  battle  for  his  prey.  His  pursuer 
fired,  and  the  ramrod  passing  directly  through  the 
animal  was  lost  in  the  ground.  The  beast  fell 
lifeless  and  was  borne  home  in  triumph  by  the 
victor.  Circumstances  of  this  character  were  not 
uncommon,  but  this  will  suffice  to  illustrate  the 
condition  of  the  country  at  that  period. 

Mr.  Bennett  entertained  the  thought  of  entering 
the  ministry  with  great  reluctance ;  not  from  any 
personal  aversion  to  it,  but  from  a  painful  sense  of 
his  deficiency  in  Christian  attainment  and  literary 
culture.  He  had  received  nothing  more  than  the 
mere  rudiments  of  an  English  education,  and,  de- 
void of  scholastic  accomplishments  and  mental 
discipline,  and  compelled  to  rely  upon  the  labor  of 
his  hands  for  temporal  support,  he  must  be  thrown 
in  his  pulpit  efforts  solely  upon  the  native  vigor 
of  his  intellect  and  the  teachings  of  the  Spirit  of 
God.  It  was  only  after  nearly  two  years  of 
severe  mental  conflict,  he  yielded  to  his  convic- 
.tions  of  duty  and  became  a  public  minister  of  the 
Gospel. 

The  Baptists  were  then  few  and  feeble.  Eccle- 
siastical oppression  in  New  England,  which  sought 


OO  MEMOIR   OF 

to  crush  them,  had  not  yet  ceased.  With  few 
learned  men  in  the  ministry  and  little  control  of 
the  press,  the  great  truths  for  which  they  are  dis- 
tinguished were  imperfectly  understood  and  widely 
misrepresented.  The  vital  principle  of  religious 
liberty,  for  which  they  had  struggled  almost  alone 
for  many  centuries,  though  it  was  now  inscribed 
upon  the  national  constitution  and  was  rapidly 
effacing  from  the  statute  book  enactments  which 
invaded  the  freedom  of  conscience,  had  not  yet 
thoroughly  imbued  the  minds  of  even  good  men  j 
and  many  were  the  annoyances  and  persecutions 
to  which  at  that  time  persons  were  often  subjected 
who  ventured  to  unite  with  them.  It  was  not 
unfrequent  that  the  public  avowal  of  their  ob- 
noxious tenets  involved  the  confessor  in  general 
odium,  the  loss  of  personal  friendships,  and  even 
the  dissolution  of  family  ties.  The  early  annals 
of  nearly  all  the  churches  in  this  country  present 
constant  illustrations  of  the  intolerance  and  bigotry 
experienced  at  the  hands  of  men  endowed  with 
many  excellencies  of  religious  character,  but  pro- 
fessing a  different  ecclesiastical  faith.  Under  such 
circumstances,  the  position  of  a  minister,  it  may 
well  be  supposed,  was  one  in  nowise  to  be  coveted 
either  for  its  ease,  its  popularity,  or  its  emolu- 
ments ;  and  the  men  who  entered  upon  it  were 


EEV.   ALFKED   BENNETT.  57 

ordinarily  impelled  by  an  ardent  love  of  souls  and 
convictions  wrought  within  them  by  the  Spirit  of 
God  which  they  could  not  resist. 

The  exercises  through  which  his  mind  passed 

in  reference  to  entering  the  ministry,  he  related  to 

his  pastor  before  his  death  nearly  in  the  following 

"words:  ~. 

"  The  work  of  the  ministry  had  peculiar  attrac- 
tions for  me,  even  in  the  most  thoughtless  and 
wildest  period  of  my  youth.  It  would  often  rise 
in  my  mind,  O  that  I  could  have  been  a  minister ! 
I  cared  not  who  obtained  political  distinction,  or 
wealth,  or  worldly  honor,  so  I  could  have  preached 
the  Gospel.  But  this  was  impossible,  as  the  Con- 
gregational church  in  which  I  was  reared  allowed 
none  to  be  put  into  that  office  except  such  as  had 
enjoyed  collegiate  advantages.  Yet  for  my  own 
amusement  I  would  often  on  the  Sabbath,  when 
the  preacher  had  read  his  text  and  was  making 
some  preliminary  remarks,  take  the  subject  and 
spread  it  out  and  arrange  it  for  discussion.  Some- 
times I  found  myself  very  happily  agreeing  with 
him  in  the  arrangement,  at  others,  I  at  once  saw 
my  mistake  in  making  the  division,  as  he  opened 
it ;  and  then  again,  I  would  say,  Now  Rev.  sir, 
you  have  not  got  that  subject  right ;  you  cannot 
preach  so. 


68  MEMOIB   OF 

"  After  I  had  obtained  hope  in  Christ,  ray  mind 
still  much  desired  the  work  of  the  ministry ;  for 
interests  now  appeared  associated  with  it  which 
were  spiritual  and  eternal.  But  it  still  seemed 
impossible  for  me  to  attain  to  it;  the  work  ap- 
peared so  holy,  and  I  looked  so  vile  in  my  own 
eyes,  that  it  forbid  my  ever  reaching  it ;  I  therefore 
dismissed  the  matter  from  my  mind,  as  useless  to 
think  of,  was  married,  and  removed  to  Homer, 
and  locating  myself  as  a  citizen,  engaged  in  sub- 
duing the  forests  and  tilling  the  soil  for  my  sup- 
port. My  course,  I  supposed,  was  fixed  for  life ; 
and  lest  impressions  in  relation  to  the  ministry 
should  again  interrupt  me  I  resolved  on  my  first 
coming  into  the  town  to  take  no  part  in  religious 
services,  but  live  in  quiet,  endeavoring  to  maintain 
a  fair  religious  character.  It  so  fell  out,  however, 
that  soon  after,  in  attending  meeting  with  the  little 
Baptist  church  in  the  village,  there  were  only  a 
very  few  persons  present,  and  I  was  called  to  take 
part  in  the  service  and  offer  prayer.  I  objected, 
but  the  good  sister  who  called  on  me  so  reasoned 
the  matter  that  conviction  fastened  on  my  mind, 
and  before  the  season  closed  I  was  again  happy 
in  the  discharge  of  duty.  After  this  I  was  ex- 
pected to  take  part  with  my  brethren  in  reading 
the  Scriptures,  exhortation,  and  prayer  on  the  Sab- 


REV.    ALFRED   BENNETT.  50 

bath,  as  there  was  then  little  preaching,  and  sermons 
were  few  and  far  between. 

"  For  a  time  my  mind  was  satisfied.  At  length 
the  suggestion  came  upon  me :  With  whom,  hast 
thou  left  those  few  sheep  in  the  wilderness'?  I 
would  repel  it,  but  again  it  would  return :  With 
whom  hast  thou  left  those  few  sheep  in  the  wilder- 
ness f  And  it  would  be  renewed  with  increasing 
force,  as  if  some  one  spoke  behind  me,  so  that  I 
would  instinctively  turn  my  head :  With  whom, 
hast  thou  left  those  few  sheep  in  the  wilderness? 
I  would  still  reply,  God  has  a  little  flock  here  and 
I  would  gladly  feed  them,  but  I  cannot ;  I  have 
nothing  for  them.  And  this  was  repeated  perhaps 
a  hundred  times,  and  often  ten  times  a  day  it 
would  come  bursting  into  my  mind  till  my  atten- 
tion was  completely  absorbed.  Also  in  my  musings, 
the  state  of  sinners  around  would  arrest  my  thought. 
The  people  were  coming  from  the  East,  invited 
by  the  pleasantness  of  the  situation,  the  fertility 
of  the  soil,  and  the  prospects  of  gain ;  but  as  money 
•was  the  great  object,  they  were  engrossed  with 
the  cares  of  this  life,  the  deceitfulness  of  riches, 
and  the  lust  of  other  things.  I  said,  Surely  they 
will  lose  their  souls  unless  there  be  one  to  warn 
them  of  danger  and  direct  them  to  Jesus  the  friend 
of  sinners.  But  I  have  no  influence ;  they  would 


60  MEMOIR   Otf 

not  believe  me.  Should  I  attempt  to  warn  them 
they  might  say,  Is  Saul  also  among  the  prophets  ? 
The  work  is  too  great ;  I  cannot  perform  it.  One 
day,  while  reflecting  on  the  state  of  the  people  and 
the  prospects  of  the  church,  the  thought  rushed 
upon  my  mind  with  great  force,  You  will  yet  have 
to  preach.  At  this  my  heart  strongly  revolted. 
I  thought,  God  knows  that  I  wished  to  be  a  minis- 
ter, and  should  have  felt  honored  to  be  intro- 
duced into  that  work  under  circumstances  which 
would  have  enabled  me  to  rise  to  a  mediocrity  of 
standing  in  it.  But  with  my  limited  education, 
no  schools  to  improve  my  mind,  no  elder  ministers 
to  counsel  me,  no  library ;  let  me  do  the  best  I  can 
under  ail  these  embarrassments  here  in  the  wilder- 
ness, I  shall  be  nothing  more  than  a  miserable, 
insignificant  preacher;  and  I  will  not.  Lord,  I 
am  willing  to  exhort,  or  pray,  or  devote  my  time 
otherwise  to  aid  the  little  church,  as  a  brother; 
but  I  can  go  no  further.  The  subject,  however, 
could  not  be  thus  thrown  off.  I  durst  not  pray 
God  to  show  me  my  duty  for  fear  He  would  show 
me  the  ministry.  Having  then  no  other  books  in 
the  house  but  a  Bible,  a  volume  of  hymns,  and  a 
spelling-book,  I  said,  I  do  not  know  any  thing,  nor 
have  I  any  means  of  knowing  except  from  the 
Bible.  And  to  this  I  betook  myself  with  great 


BEV.   ALFRED   BENlSrETT.  61 

ardor :  I  read  much  by  night  and  by  day,  as  I  had 
opportunity ;  I  would  carry  it  about,  my  person  to 
my  labor ;  while  chopping  down  the  forest  I  would 
work  a  while,  then  sit  down  upon  a  log  and  read 
a  while,  and  pray  a  while,  and  weep  a  while ;  then 
to  my  labor  again.  I  begged  God  to  forgive  me 
if  I  had  done  wrong  in  refusing  to  consider  the 
subject ;  and  yet  was  wholly  unwilling  to  entertain 
the  matter  under  my  circumstances. 

"Thus  my  mind  was  troubled  for  nearly  two 
years,  supposing  that  my  trials  were  wholly  un- 
known to  others.  At  length,  to  my  surprise,  I 
found  many  had  the  impression  that  I  was  exer- 
cised respecting  that  duty ;  and  they  took  occasion 
to  suggest  the  matter  to  me,  urging  me  to  consider 
it  favorably.  Also,  as  we  had  no  pastor,  oppor- 
tunity offered  to  speak  with  a  little  latitude  upon 
the  Scriptures,  which  would  occasionally  afford 
me  great  satisfaction  in  my  feelings.  At  other 
times,  for  fear  it  might  be  looking  towards  the 
ministry,  the  very  point  I  wished  to  discuss  I 
dared  not  touch ;  and  after  speaking  of  every  thing 
else  I  could  think  of  but  that  which  really  filled 
my  mind,  I  would  sit  down,  full  of  confusion  and 
covered  with  mortification.  Thus  weighed  down, 
with  continual  conflict,  my  flesh  wasted  and  I 
became  almost  a  skeleton;  and  by  degrees  one 
6 


62  MEMOIR  OF 

objection  after  another  was  providentially  re- 
moved. I  knew  I  had  the  approbation  of  my 
brethren ;  they  were  more  than  willing  I  should 
preach. 

"  In  the  spring  of  1805, 1  became  exceedingly 
anxious  to  converse  with  my  honored  father,  and 
Rev.  Mr.  Palmer,  my  former  pastor;  for  I  felt 
sure  that  Mr.  Palmer  was  called  of  God  to  preach 
the  Gospel,  and  I  had  been  told  my  father  once 
thought  he  ought  to  preach,  but  never  did.  There- 
fore I  thought,  if  I  could  only  see  them,  between 
them  both,  I  am  sure  I  could  ascertain  whether 
my  exercises  are  to  be  encouraged  or  not.  But  to 
see  them  seemed  impossible ;  for  they  were  living 
some  three  hundred  miles  distant,  and  knew 
nothing  of  my  feelings,  as  I  supposed ;  I  had  not 
the  remotest  thought  that  they  would  come  to  me ; 
and  I  was  wholly  unable  to  make  the  journey. 
My  location  was  in  a  small  opening  in  the  forests, 
and  it  was  necessary  to  labor  constantly  to  obtain 
sustenance  for  my  family.  One  day,  while  at 
work,  looking  up,  I  saw  my  father  coming ;  I  was 
filled  with  joy  at  the  sight  of  him  ;  but  my  emaci- 
ated, haggard  appearance  so  affected  him  that  he 
burst  into  tears  and  wept  profusely.  After  inquiring 
after  my  welfare  and  the  causes  of  my  wasted 
appearance,  to  which  I  replied  by  saying  that  I  wag 


BEV.    ALFRED   BENNETT.  63 

not  unhappily  situated ;  brushing  away  the  tears, 
he  remarked,  '  Well,  I  am  glad  if  you  are  enjoying 
life;  come,  Mr.  Palmer  is  down  at  the  house.' 
This  filled  me  with  astonishment ;  it  seemed  to  be 
of  God ;  and  I  could  not  but  regard  it  as  a  special 
Providence  manifesting  His  condescension  towards 
me.  It  seemed  their  journey  was  suddenly  planned 
and  prosecuted,  and  I  could  interpret  it  only  as 
showing  the  design  of  God  to  give  me  every  evi- 
dence I  could  ask.  Before  they  left  I  was  satisfied 
respecting  the  real  character  of  my  exercises.  The 
last  refuge  under  which  I  had  hid  myself  was  now 
taken  away ;  I  stood  out  all  exposed  to  guilt  if  I 
did  not  discharge  the  duty  which  was  now  plainly 
before  me ;  I  therefore  resolved  to  make  one  effort. 
"I  honestly  supposed  it  would  be  needful  to 
make  but  one  attempt,  in  preaching,  to  satisfy  my 
brethren  and  my  own  feelings  forever,  that  it  was 
not  my  duty.  I  made  engagement  in  my  mind, 
if  life  was  continued  to  me  till  such  a  Sabbath, 
when  the  church  would  be  together  more  generally, 
that  I  would  make  the  effort.  Accordingly,  I  se- 
lected a  text,  not  suspecting  that  I  should  ever 
need  another  one ;  it  was  Eph.  v.  8.  For  ye  were 
sometimes  darkness,  ~but  now  a/re  ye  light  in  the 
Lord;  walk  as  children  of  the  light.  This,  I 
thought,  would  afford  me  opportunity  to  exercise 


64  MEMOIR   OF 

my  gift  in  the  ministry,  if  any  in  the  Bible  could ; 
for  it  seemed  to  allude  to  our  depraved  condition 
in  nature  by  the  'darkness'  spoken  of;  and  to  the 
blessed  and  hopeful  condition  of  the  Christian  un- 
der the  figure  of '  light  in  the  Lord  ;'  of  both  which 
I  thought  I  had  some  knowledge  in  my  own  expe- 
rience, and  could  therefore  make  out  some  interest- 
ing discourse  from  them.  If  not,  and  my  mind 
was  not  fruitful,  I  could  fall  back  upon  the  last 
clause,  '"Walk  as  children  of  the  light,'  which 
would  bring  me  upon  ground  with  which  I  was 
familiar,  having  long  been  permitted  to  exhort  my 
brethren.  With  this  plan,  I  conned  the  subject, 
and  adjusted  my  thoughts,  and,  at  the  time  ap- 
pointed, went  to  the  meeting,  confident  that  if  it 
was  my  duty  to  preach  I  should  be  sustained  in 
that  service.  The  chapter  having  been  read,  at 
the  proper  time  I  rose  and  remarked  that,  as  the 
brethren  well  knew,  my  mind  had  been  much  ex- 
ercised in  respect  to  the  duty  of  preaching  the 
Gospel ;  and  I  had,  therefore,  concluded  to  venture 
forward,  leaving  it  to  God  and  my  brethren,  until 
they  bade  me  stop.  Then,  reading  the  text,  I 
commenced  an  exposition  of  it.  But  the  pride  of 
my  heart  deceived  me ;  the  fear  of  man  brought  a 
snare.  I  lost  my  arrangement,  became  confused 
in  my  thoughts,  and  exceedingly  mortified  in  the- 


REV.    ALFRED  BENNETT.  65 

issue  of  the  effort.  Dismissing  the  meeting  for  an 
hour,  I  went  into  the  forest,  threw  myself  down, 
and  wept  bitterly.  I  prayed  God  to  forgive  me 
for  having  had  a  thought  that  I  could  preach. 
But  at  length  the  suggestion  rose  that  the  time  for 
meeting  was  come  again.  My  first  impression 
was  not  to  return :  I  thought  I  could  not  appear 
in  that  congregation  again.  Then  the  thought, 
came  that  I  was  a  professor  of  religion,  and  my 
conduct,  should  I  desert  the  meeting,  might  wound 
the  cause ;  and  this  I  could  not  bear.  On  rising 
up  to  return,  something  said,  '  Are  yon  going  to 
preach  again  this  afternoon?'  Preach!  No,  in- 
deed, I  am  not.  I  am  ashamed  of  this  morning's 
work ;  I  shall  not  try  that  again.  Then  it  came 
to  me  that  I  had  stated  in  the  morning  I  would  go 
forward,  leaving  it  to  God  and  my  brethren ;  they 
had  not  bid  me  stop,  and  I  stood  under  public 
engagement  to  continue  preaching.  I  was  sorry 
I  had  said  it,  but,  being  said,  I  felt  under  obliga- 
tion to  make  another  effort.  Then  arose  the  ques- 
tion of  a  subject.  "What  shall  be  the  text  ?  Oh ! 
thought  I,  may  God  have  mercy  upon  me !  I  am 
a  fool !  For,  going  by  the  way,  my  wisdom  has 
failed  me,  and  my  folly  must  be  apparent  to  all 
the  people.  Having  enjoyed  many  sweet  reflec- 
tions upon  different  passages  of  Scripture,  during 
6* 


CO  MEMOIR   OP 

the  preceding  two  years,  I  thought  I  must  select 
some  one  of  them  and  do  the  best  I  could  with  it. 
My  mind  went  through  the  Scriptures  with  great 
rapidity,  but  could  light  on  no  passage,  nor  catch 
one  ray  of  light  from  any  part  of  the  Bible,  from 
the  beginning  of  Genesis  to  the  end  of  Revelation. 
I  became  much  excited,  and  trembling  and  groan- 
ing in  spirit,  set  out  for  the  house,  which  was  only 
a  few  rods  distant.  Suddenly,  these  words  fell 
upon  my  mind  with  great  power  and  sweetness : 
My  kingdom,  is  not  of  this  world.  I  put  them 
from  me,  as  not  having  been  investigated.  But 
they  rushed  again  upon  my  mind  with  force,  and 
upon  the  repetition  of  them  the  third  time,  just  as 
I  reached  the  door,  there  seemed  some  light  to 
spring  up  in  my  mind.  There  was  no  alternative 
but  to  read  these  words ;  I  had  no  other  subject. 
Accordingly,  the  meeting  was  opened,  and  I  read 
them  as  the  foundation  of  discourse.  I  had  not 
proceeded  far,  when  light  broke  in  upon  my  mind, 
astonishing  my  whole  soul,  as  the  sun  would  break 
forth  in  its  full-orbed  glory  on  the  slumbering 
darkness  of  midnight.  That  kingdom  and  its 
King — its  laws  and  order,  its  principles  and  its 
precepts,  its  promises  and  pleasures,  its  power  and 
prospects,  its  subjects  and  objects,  its  life-giving 
influence  on  the  sinner  in  this  dying  world,  and 


EEV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  67 

its  consummation  in  glory — all  burst  upon  my 
mind  witli  such  intense  interest  and  expansion  of 
thought,  that  I  said  to  myself,  I  shall  never  need 
another  text.  If  I  am  permitted  to  live  till  three 
score  years  and  ten,  this  contains  all  the  matter  I 
need  to  preach  about ;  it  can  never  be  exhausted. 
My  heart  was  in  sweet  composure,  overflowing 
with  joy.  I  preached  and  wept ;  the  people  wept 
and  listened.  I  only  wondered  we  had  never  seen 
such  beauty  before  in  the  Saviour  and  in  the  Gos- 
pel, and  before  I  closed,  I  thought,  if  my  brethren 
would  let  me,  I  would  preach  as  long  as  I  lived. 
And  this  I  may  honestly  now  say,  being  seventy 
years  old,  by  the  mercy  of  God  being  kept,  I  have 
been  permitted  to  have  a  place  in  the  ministry, 
and  that  text  I  have  found  containing  more  than  I 
have  been  able  to  preach,  occupying  my  whole 
attention  up  to  this  time.  Still  there  are  heights 
in  it  which  have  not  been  scaled,  and  depths  which 
have  not  been  fathomed,  and  extents  and  measure- 
ments which  have  never  been  compassed. 

"  This  experience  was  a  lesson  of  rich  instruc- 
tion, leading  me  to  distinguish  between  exercises 
merely  intellectual  in  the  ministry  of  the  Gospel, 
and  those  which  are  truly  spiritual ;  and  however 
important  the  former  are — and  a  man  must  study 
to  show  himself  approved — still  from  the  latter  he 


68  MEMOIR   OF 

derives  his  sweetest  personal  enjoyments  and  only 
effective  power  in  the  work." 

Having  thus  been  introduced  to  the  work  of  the 
ministry,  he  continued  to  preach  with  increased 
acceptance  to  the  little  church  gathered  in  Homer. 
In  November  of  1805,  he  was  unanimously  licensed 
to  preach  the  Gospel  anywhere  within  the  bounds 
of  the  church ;  and  in  April  of  the  following  year, 
this  license  was  made  unlimited,  and  he  was  au- 
thorized to  proclaim  the  tidings  of  life  in  Christ 
Jesus  "wherever  God  in  His  providence  should 
open  the  door."  In  February,  180Y,  the  church, 
by  solemn  resolution,  called  him  to  ordination, 
which  took  place  publicly,  June  18,  in  the  same 
year.  The  services  of  the  occasion  were  conducted 
in  a  large  barn,  then  new,  on  the  premises  of  Hon. 
John  Keep,  now  connected  with  the  County  Poor 
House.  Rev.  Ashbel  Hosrner,  pastor  of  the  Bap- 
tist church,  Hamilton,  preached  the  sermon,  from 
Gal.  i.  10—12.  Delegates  were  present  from  the 
following  churches :  First  Church,  Milton  (now 
Genoa),  Lisle,  Dryden,  Locke,  Cazenovia,  and  Fa- 
bius.  Thus,  with  trembling  hope,  he  was  solemnly 
consecrated  to  the  pastor's  work,  and  put  in  charge 
with  the  feeble  church  in  Homer,  which,  under 
his  pastorship,  was  yet  destined  to  rise  a  monu- 
ment of  his  faithfulness  and  the  rich  grace  of  God. 


KEV.  ALFRED   BENNETT.  69 

CHAPTER  V, 

PASTORAL    LABORS. 

embarrassments  attended  his  earlier  labors 
as  a  pastor.  "Without  the  advantages  of  education, 
without  access  to  an  extensive  library,  his  dis- 
courses must  necessarily  be  devoid  of  any  of  the 
attractions  of  learning  or  the  graces  of  rhetoric ; 
though  the  natural  vigor  of  his  mind  gave  to  them 
great  power,  and  studied,  as  they  often  were,  upon 
his  knees  with  the  Bible  before  him,  they  were 
usually  rich  in  biblical  expression  and  illustration, 
and  attended  with  an  unction  imparted  only  by 
the  Holy  Ghost.  The  church  had  no  house  of 
worship,  and  were  accustomed  to  assemble  on  the 
Sabbath  at  different  places  in  the  town,  which 
much  affected  the  permanency  of  the  congrega- 
tion. "Widely  scattered  over  a  region  twenty  miles 
in  extent,  it  was  not  easy  to  gather  the  flock  into 
one  assembly,  or  discharge  faithfully  to  them,  in 
coimsel  and  visitation,  the  duties  of  a  pastor. 
Valuable  additions  had,  indeed,  been  made  to 
their  number,  of  some  who  in  after  life  stood  as 
distinguished  pillars  in  the  church,  but  there  were 
others  also  who  occasioned  the  watchful  servant  of 


70  MEMOIS  OB1 

God  much  anxiety.  Added  to  these,  was  the 
limited  amount  of  his  salary,  which  compelled  him 
to  labor  much  with  his  hands  for  temporal  sup- 
port. The  extract  which  follows,  from  a  letter 
addressed  to  his  brother  Alvin,  August  18,  1809, 
furnishes  an  interesting  view  of  his  trials  and 
character  at  this  period : 

"As  to  the  situation  of'my  mind  in  the  things 
of  religion — sometimes  the  clusters  from  Eschol's 
brook  cheer  my  fainting  soul.  The  same  truth  I 
try  to  preach  to  others  is  the  only  support  of  my 
soul ;  for  all  my  dependence  is  on  sovereign  grace. 
However,  much  of  my  time  is  spent  in  trials.  I 
have  trials  about  my  adoption,  trials  about  preach- 
ing, trials  about  my  worldly  concerns,  trials  about 
my  stupid  manner  of  living,  trials  about  the  dis- 
orderly walk  of  some  members  in  the  church,  and 
trials  arising  from  temptations  numberless  as  the 
sands.  I  hope  you  have  fewer  discouragements 
to  encounter.  Pray,  be  encouraged,  my  brother, 

"  For  the  weakest,  Jesus  shall  win  the  day, 
Though  death  and  hell  obstruct  the  way." 

Let  us  not  seek  to  please  men ;  for  such  are  not 
the  servants  of  Christ.  Seek  not  the  favor  of  par- 
ties, but  of  Christians.  Do  the  work  of  an  evan- 
gelist; make  full  proof  of  thy  ministry" 


REV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  71 

At  this  early  period,  some  of  the  pastors  were 
wont  to  devote  a  part  of  almost  every  year  to  mis- 
sionary effort,  itinerating  in  the  new  settlements 
forming  west  of  them.  By  this  means  the  scat- 
tered members  of  the  fold  of  Christ  were  collected, 
and  churches  organized;  while  the  Gospel  was 
published  to  many  who  would  otherwise  have 
been  left  uninstructed.  Meetings  for  prayer  were 
set  up  and  encouraged,  and  the  influences  of  reli- 
gion spread  where  they  were  before  unfelt.  The 
ardent  missionary  zeal  of  many  of  the  fathers  in 
the  ministry,  some  of  whom  have  already  entered 
their  rest  and  others  are  now  waiting  the  Master's 
call,  is  still  fresh  in  the  memory  of  the  elder  mem- 
bers of  the  churches,  among  whom  not  a  few  lis- 
tened to  the  Word  of  Life  they  ministered,  and 
then  first  felt  its  saving  power.  Allusion  is  made 
to  a  tour  of  this  character  in  a  letter  written  Sep- 
tember 18,  1810.  It  contains  the  following  re- 
marks :  "  The  things  of  religion  are  not  so  much 
engaging  my  mind  as  they  ought.  I  have  to 
write  bitter  things  against  myself;  yet  by  the 
grace  of  God  I  am  what  I  am.  I  expect,  the  Lord 
willing,  to  leave  my  family  next  Monday  on  a 
journey  of  seven  or  eight  weeks  to  the  westward, 
the  most  of  it  to  be  spent  in  missionary  labors  by 
appointment  from  the  Hamilton  Baptist  Mission- 


72  MEMOIR   OF 

ary  Soci  ety .  Our  church  enj  oy s  comfortable  union : 
I  think  there  are  some  prospects  of  a  reformation. 
The  Lord  grant  I  may  not  be  deceived.  Last 
Lord's  day  I  baptized  one ;  our  present  number  is 
seventy-eight.  The  Lord  add  more  by  His  grace." 

Another  tour  of  similar  character  was  under- 
taken to  Holland  Purchase,  in  1811,  during  which, 
in  an  absence  of  a  little  more  than  seven  weeks,  it 
is  recorded,  he  rode  five  hundred  miles,  and 
preached  fifty-seven  sermons. 

Religious  discussions  at  this  period  turned 
mainly  upon  the  points  at  issue  between  the  Cal- 
vinistic  and  Arminian  theology.  Many  good  men 
even  took  extreme  views.  Some  denied  the  sove- 
reignty of  Divine  grace  in  conversion,  and  made 
salvation  wholly  the  result  of  the  sinner's  strivings. 
On  the  other  hand,  there  were  not  a  few  who,  for- 
getting that  the  Most  High,  in  working  all  things 
according  to  the  counsels  of  His  own  will,  effects 
His  gracious  purposes  by  appointed  means,  refused 
to  exhort  men  to  repent  and  believe,  on  the  ground 
of  man's  natural  incapacity,  and  boldly  taught 
that  men  were  under  no  moral  obligation  respect- 
ing such  spiritual  exercises  except  they  received 
special  grace  from  God,  in  which  case  they  would 
become  Christians,  whether  exhorted  or  not.  In 
Buch  a  ministry,  the  more  mysterious  and  awful 


EEV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  73 

truths  of  God's  Word  would  sometimes  be  set 
forth  with  extraordinary  power,  and  the  saints 
filled  with  adoring  wonder  in  view  of  the  riches 
of  grace  abounding  in  distinguishing,  eternal  love ; 
but  upon  the  ear  of  the  sinner  no  words  of  expos- 
tulation and  entreaty  fell,  and  no  heavenly  invita- 
tions called  him  from  the  paths  of  sin  and  danger 
to  the  refuge  in  Jesus  Christ.  Of  these  opposing 
parties,  the  former,  from  the  acknowledged  fact  of 
our  moral  agency,  inferred  the  necessary  existence 
in  the  sinner  of  moral  ability  to  perform  the  spir- 
itual acts  required  in  the  Gospel,  thus  overlooking 
the  blinding  and  depraving  effect  of  sin:  the 
latter,  from  the  equally  well  established  fact  of  the 
sovereignty  of  God,  deduced  the  consequence,  that 
the  soul  is  passive  in  conversion  and  the  sinner 
under  no  obligation  to  make  effort  for  salvation, 
except  an  intimation  of  the  Divine  intention  to 
save  was  first  given  by  special  influences  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  The  controversy  upon  this  subject 
was  rife,  both  in  this  country  and  in  England, 
eliciting  warm  and  often  angry  disputation ;  and 
while  Andrew  Fuller,  in  Europe,  was  dealing 
sturdy  blows  on  either  side  against  these  extreme 
opinions,  and  marking  out  that  middle  ground  in 
theology  which  receives  both  the  facts,  but' rejects 
both  the  inferences,  the  most  godly  and  influential 
7 


74  MEMOIR  OV 

in  the  ministry  on  this  side  the  Atlantic,  though 
with  much  contention,  occupied  the  same  position. 
The  following  extract  from  a  letter  of  Mr.  Bennett, 
directed  to  his  brother,  August  18,  1811,  will  be 
read  with  interest,  as  indicating  his  doctrinal  ten- 
dencies at  this  period.  It  was  in  answer  to  one 
requesting  his  opinion  as  to  the  proper  position  to 
be  taken  between  the  Antinomian  and  Arminian 
doctrines. 

"  Dear  Brother :  Christ  and  His  apostles  preach- 
ed a  doctrine  between  them.  Search  the  Scrip- 
tures. We  find  there  the  Divine  sovereignty, 
particular  and  eternal  election,  justification  by 
grace,  the  perseverance  of  saints,  man's  moral 
agency  and  accountability,  and  the  eternal  pun- 
ishment of  the  wicked,  all  clearly  supported  by 
Divine  truth ;  and  though  it  may  be  impossible 
for  us  to  reconcile  these  together,  we  may  yet  tell 
the  world  of  them.  We  may  declare  that  God  is 
sufficient  to  defend  the  truth,  and  will  at  the  last 
make  it  plain.  We  ought  to  be  willing  to  become 
fools  for  Christ's  sake.  It  is  beyond  our  reach  to 
make  the  natural  man  understand  the  things  of  the 
Spirit  of  God ;  for  they  are  foolishness  unto  him." 

With  such  views  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Bennett 
was  one*  of  untiring  activity.  Depending  only  on 
the  grace  of  God,  he  wrought  with  a  holy  energy 


REV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  75 

which  was  inspired  by  love  to  Christ  and  love  to 
souls,  and  a  just  sense  of  the  freeness  and  richness 
of  the  Gospel.  In  the  log  houses  of  his  people  his 
friendly  counsel  and  ardent  prayers  were  fre- 
quently enjoyed.  In  the  conduct  of  meetings  for 
prayer  and  conference  he  was  especially  gifted ; 
and  in  the  familiar  neighborhood  gatherings,  which 
were  then  so  common,  his  presence  always  seemed 
to  increase  the  freedom  felt  in  experimental  re- 
ligious conversation.  And  from  the  pulpit  he  set 
forth,  with  godly  fervor,  the  lost  condition  of  the 
sinner,  the  obligation  of  immediate  repentance 
and  faith,  and  the  necessity  of  holy  living ;  not, 
indeed,  as  the  ground  of  justification  before  God, 
but  as  the  legitimate  result  and  essential  evidence 
of  it.  The  church,  gradually  augmented  in  num- 
ber and  strengthened  by  a  stated  ministry,  at 
length  reared  a  house  of  worship,  located  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  south  of  the  village  of  Homer, 
which  was  dedicated  to  the  service  of  God  in  June 
1812.  The  text  from  which  the  pastor  preached 
on  this  occasion  was  from  Zeph.  iii.  12:  I  will 
also  leave  in  the  midst  of  thee  an  afflicted  and 
poor  people,  and  they  shatt  trust  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord;  and  though  it  was  a  day  of  much. glad- 
ness to  him,  the  subject  well  illustrates  the  outward 
circumstances  of  the  people. 


76  MEMOIR  OTf 

But  God  was  about  to  manifest  His  grace  in 
the  work  of  conversion.  An  increased  fervency 
of  spirit  appeared  in  the  church,  and  meetings  for 
religious  conversation  were  much  multiplied. 
Brief  notes  in  a  diary  he  kept  during  this  period 
give  indications  that  his  own  soul  also  was  more 
than  ordinarily  awakened  to  the  condition  of  the 
lost  around  him.  In  an  historical  discourse 
preached  in  1844,  he  thus  alludes  to  the  revival 
which  followed : 

'.'The  commencement  of  this  period  found  the 
church  worshipping  in  the  new  meeting-house, 
which  had  brought  them  into  debt  about  one 
thousand  dollars,  or  nearly  half  the  value  of  the 
house,  without  any  means  of  payment.  However, 
such  was  the  abundant  grace  bestowed,  that 
before  the  year  closed  the  church  had  more  than 
doubled  her  numbers,  the  debt  was  paid  off,  and 
the  congregation  large  and  respectable.  In  this 
revival  there  were  eighteen  husbands,  with  their 
wives,  and  thirteen  whose  companions  were  mem- 
bers before,  making  forty-nine  heads  of  families, 
who  were  permanently  settled  in  town,  and  re- 
spectable in  society,  converted  to  God  and  brought 
into  the  church,  many  of  whom  remain  at  this 
present  time  as  pillars  in  the  house  of  God,  but 
some  have  fallen  asleep.  Such  was  the  feeling 


BEV.   ALFKED  BENNETT.  77 

cultivated,  the  amount  of  intelligence  possessed, 
the  deliberation,  integrity,  and  decision  with  which 
they  came  forward  and  connected  with  the  church, 
that  there  seemed  no  occasion  for  change,  or  even 
a  desire  to  turn  back  again  to  the  world.  It  ia 
believed  that  for  one  or  two  years  after  the  close 
of  the  revival  there  was  not  an  instance  of  de- 
fection in  any  member  sufficient  to  call  for  even  a 
reproof  from  the  church. 

"In  those  days  the  Scripture  was  fulfilled  in 
them :  'Then  they  that  feared  the  Lord  spake  often 
one  to  another,  and  the  Lord  hearkened  and  heard, 
and  a  book  of  remembrance  was  written  before 
Him,  for  them  that  feared  the  Lord  and  thought 
upon  His  name.'  God  did  remember  them,  and 
blessed  their  souls  and  prospered  the  work  of  their 
hands.  The  opportunities,  time  afforded  before  or 
between  hours  of  divine  worship  on  the  Sabbath, 
were  profitably  spent  by  an  interchange  of  Christian 
feeling,  and  a  kind  inquiry  after  the  state  of  soul 
of  the  individual,  or  of  the  progress  of  the  cause  in 
their  immediate  neighborhood :  thus  in  some 
measure  making  each  member  responsible  for  the 
state  of  religious  feeling  among  their  neighbors. 
But  this  was  not  enough ;  the  church  as  a  body 
agreed  to  assemble  at  the  meeting-house  (when,  at 
the  time  of  which  we  are  now  speaking,  there  were 
7* 


78  MEMOIR  Of 

not  probably  five  members  within  one  mile  of  it) 
once  in  two  weeks,  and  spend  half  a  day  in  prayer 
and  social  Christian  conversation  together  as  mem- 
bers of  the  same  body  and  partakers  of  the  same 
rich  grace.  These  social  conference  meetings  gave 
opportunity  for  the  exercise  of  the  various  gifts  in 
the  church,  which  God  has  given  that  all  may  be 
edified  and  comforted.  They  served  to  bring  out 
occasionally  those  pious  and  sage  remarks  which 
are  like  apples  of  gold  in  pictures  of  silver. 

"  We  give  a  few  specimens.  On  one  occasion 
the  conversation  turned  on  the  meaning  and  im- 
portance of  our  Lord's  words :  '  Inasmuch  as  ye 
have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  my 
brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto  me.'  A  member 
said,  How  shall  we  understand  when  an  act  comes 
within  the  range  of  His  approbation?  how  shall  we 
know  when  we  do  a  good  work  ?  A  sister  replied, 
I  do  not  know,  unless  we  can  do  the  work  and 
forget  it.  The  righteous  had  done  all  their  good 
works  and  forgot  them,  for  they  had  done  them  out 
of  love  to  Christ ;  but  the  wicked  had  done  theirs 
and  remembered  them,  for  they  expected  pay  for 
them.  On  one  of  those  conference  days,  another 
sister  addressed  those  present  in  the  following 
strain :  Brethren  and  sisters,  let  us  trust  God.  It 
is  not  so  easy  to  trust  the  bare  word  of  God,  but  it 


RET.    ALFRED   BENNETT.  79 

is  our  duty.  He  says,  I  will  never  leave  tliee  nor 
forsake  thee,  and  it  ought  to  satisfy  us.  Now,  she 
continued,  we  can  trust  God  with  our  barns  full, 
cellars  full,  and  hands  full ;  but  to  trust  Him  when 
destitute,  when  want  presses,  when  no  prospect  of 
relief  appears, — to  trust  Him  '  although  the  fig-tree 
shall  not  blossom,  neither  shall  fruit  be  on  the 
vines,  the  labor  of  the  olive  shall  fail,  and  the 
fields  shall  yield  no  meat,  and  the  flocks  shall  be 
cut  ofi'  from  the  folds,  and  there  shall  be  no  herd 
in  the  stalls' — to  trust  Him  thus,  is  religion;  this 
is  what  God  requires  of  His  children.  And  when 
Christ  is  enjoyed  alone  and  has  no  rival  in  our 
heart,  and  we  live  on  Him  by/iz^A,  and  eat  His 
flesh  and  drink  His  blood,  'tis  then  we  enjoy 
peace;  this  is  health  to  the  soul,  this  is  sweet 
I  ic  ing. 

"A  brother  who  was  a  large  fanner,  and  yet  was 
seldom  absent  from  any  week-day  meeting  ap- 
pointed by  the  church,  being  asked  how  he  could 
be  so  constant  at  meetings,  replied,  These  meetings 
are  appointed  by  the  church,  and  it  is  my  duty  to 
be  here ;  I  am  bound  to  respect  the  claims  of  the 
church.  It  is  presumed,  said  he,  the  church  would 
not  make  an  appointment  unless  it  were  important, 
and  if  it  is  important  for  the  church  to  meet,  it  is 
necessary  for  me  to  be  there,  as  I  am  one  of  the 


80  MEMOIR  OF 

church.  May  the  Spirit  of  the  living  God  im- 
press this  truth,  this  important,  this  immensely 
important  practical  truth  upon  every  church  mem- 
ber's heart,  that  it  may  enlighten  the  conscience 
and  result  in  a  punctual  attendance  on  the  ap- 
pointments of  the  church." 

Of  those  who  professed  godliness  during  this 
revival,  ninety-two  were  added  to  the  church,  and 
among  them  the  middle-aged  were  the  most 
numerous.  The  steadfastness  of  the  converts  and 
the  increased  union  and  heavenly-mindedness 
among  the  saints,  continuing  in  their  midst  a 
sweet  and  holy  influence  for  several  years,  are 
facts  worthy  of  special  remark.  They  attest  the 
excellence  of  the  measures  then  employed  in  the 
work  of  God.  The  truths  preached  were  the  sim- 
ple doctrines  of  the  cross.  "  The  holiness  of  Jeho- 
vah's character,"  he  says,  "the  depravity  of 
human  nature,  the  eternal  love  of  God,  the  benevo- 
lence of  the  Saviour,  the  fulness  of  the  atonement, 
salvation  by  grace,  the  subject  of  death,  the  judg- 
ment to  come,  and  the  eternity  of  future  rewards 
and  punishments,  were  the  common  topics  in  con- 
versation and  exhortation  among  the  people."  No 
hasty  zeal  seems  to  have  sought  increase  of  num- 
bers by  lowering  the  standard  of  godliness ;  on  the 
contrary,  when  persons  were  about  to  relate  their 


BEV.  ALFRED  BENNETT.  81 

exercises  with  reference  to  baptism,  it  was  cus- 
tomary for  the  pastor  or  some  of  the  elder  brethren 
to  remind  the  church  of  the  solemn  responsibility 
they  incurred  in  encouraging  the  hopes  of  a  can- 
didate respecting  acceptance  with  God,  and  set 
before  them  the  fearful  consequences  to  the  indi- 
vidual and  the  church,  should  there  be  mistake 
upon  this  vital  point.  Nearly  two  years  after  this 
revival,  he  wrote  to  a  friend  :  "  You  are  not  unac- 
quainted with  the  work  of  grace  among  us  in 
years  past.  The  fruit  of  it  is  still  manifest.  There 
is  a  remarkable  establishment  of  mind  in  the  con- 
verts ;  but  one  has  been  laid  under  admonition  as 
yet,  and  the  whole  church  appears  in  lovely 
union. 

"While  attending  an  ecclesiastical  council  in 
Pharsalia,  it  pleased  the  Lord  to  visit  him  with 
severe  illness.  He  was  seized  with  a  fever  then 
prevalent,  which  after  his  return  home  seriously 
threatened  his  life.  In  reference  to  this  he  thus 
wrote  in  his  journal:. 

"  May  25. — It  is  fifteen  years  this  day,  since,  I 
trust,  Jesus  delivered  my  soul.  I  thought  it  would  be 
my  dying  day,  but  God  preserved  my  life.  Thanks 
be  to  His  holy  name !  my  mind  has  enjoyed  some 
peace." 

In  a  few  weeks  he  was  again  engaged  in  his 


82  MEMOIR  OF 

work  with  wonted  vigor  and  success.  This  year 
he  closed  with  the  following  minute  in  his 
journal : 

"Thus  ends  the  year  1813 — a  period  marked 
with  great  love  from  God  to  Zion,  in  the  numerous 
revivals  which  have  occurred  and  the  great  peace 
of  the  churches ;  and  with  wrath  towards  his  ene- 
mies, in  the  wars  and  pestilences  which  have 
visited  the  nations.  My  soul,  let  thanksgivings 
abound  to  God  for  His  goodness  in  continuing  my 
life  and  family,  and  above  all  in  prospering  the 
dear  people  with  whom  I  labor,  by  preserving  the 
peace  and  fellowship  of  the  church,  and  disposing 
the  congregation  to  continue  their  attention  in  the 
house  of  God  :  so  let  it  be.  Amen." 

During  the  summer  of  1814,  under  direction  of 
the  Hamilton  Baptist  Missionary  Society,  he  per- 
formed a  tour  of  six  weeks  among  the  destitute  iu 
the  counties  of  Tioga,  Steuben,  and  Alleghany,  in 
reference  to  which  he  remarks  : 

"I  passed  through  a  very  needy  part  of  the 
land.  Little  do  those  who  always  enjoy  preaching, 
appreciate  their  own  good  situation,  or  the  mis- 
erable condition  of  others  deprived  of  such  a  bless- 
ing. My  mind  was  employed  very  agreeably  for 
the  most  part,  enjoying  some  degree  of  freedom  in 
meditation  and  communication.  I  felt  something 


REV.    ALFRED   BENNETT.  83 

of  the  spirit  of  the  work,  through  the  blessing  of 
God.  I  made  use  of  a  new  subject  every  time, 
which  kept  my  thoughts  occupied  in  chase  after 
heavenly  instruction  that  might  feed  the  hungry 
saint  and  awaken  the  poor  sinner  to  see  himself 
lost  and  Jesus  lovely.  It  was  to  me  a  most  inter- 
esting season,  and  I  trust,  also,  to  many  of  God's 
dear  children."  In  this  excursion  he  preached 
forty-one  sermons,  and  rode  about  500  miles. 

A  letter  addressed  to  his  brother,  Rev.  Alvin 
Bennett,  February,  1815,  exhibits  the  tenderness 
of  his  fraternal  affection,  as  well  as  the  religious 
exercises  of  this  period : 

"  Far  distant  as  I  am  from  you  in  body,  I  still 
feel  the  drawing  of  those  ties  which,  beginning  in 
nature,  have  grown  in  strength  by  fellowship  in 
the  Gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  I  often 
recall  in  memory  those  pleasurable  days  we  once 
enjoyed  in  each  other's  society,  and  ask  myself, 
Are  they  never  to  return  again  ?  God,  the  adora- 
ble friend  of  sinful  man,  hath  disposed  of  us  as  He 
saw  fit;  and  we  ought  to  feel  submission.  But 
my  unruly  heart  often  betrays  me  into  the  enemy's 
hand,  and  there  how  am  I  handled !  Surely, 

1  Sin's  promised  joys  are  turned  to  pain. 

And  I  am  drowned  with  grief 
Till  mj  dear  Lord  return  again.' 


84  MEMOIR   OF 

"What  infinite  mercy  is  it  to  poor  sinners  that  we 
have  such  a  Saviour,  who  saves  the  worst,  cleanses 
the  foulest,  and  does  it  all  freely,  without  merit  in 
us  or  re  ward  from  us  !  Here  is  all  my  hope." 

A  portion  of  another  to  the  same  in  a  season  of 
affliction,  August,  1815,  will  further  illustrate  his 
character  at  this  period : 

"  '  Through  tribulation  deep 
The  way  to  glory  lies' — 

and  is  not  rest  sweet  to  the  laboring  man  ?  What 
then  will  Heaven  be  to  the  saints  after  this  dreary 
life  is  over?  I  long  to  see  you,  my  brother,  and 
your  dear  wife,  but  God  knows  what  is  best.  You 
are  not  forgotten  in  our  prayers,  and  I  hope  you 
share  largely  in  the  Divine  blessing  upon  the  soul, 
by  which  you  can  say  that  the  pleasure  overcomes 
the  pain.  I  am  glad  to  hear  that  you  have  em- 
ployment in  the  Lord's  vineyard ;  for  I  have  no 
good  opinion  of  indolent  servants.  Oh,  for  grace 
to  be  humble  and  faithful,  till  death  draws  nigh 
to  discharge  us  from  all  our  toil,  and  that  sin 
which  so  disturbs  our  peace  in  this  world !  Our 
church  are  in  good  harmony  and  fellowship  at 
present.  There  are  some  additions  ;  but  we  need 
another  reformation  among  us  to  make  '  the  spices 
flow  out.' " 


BEV.   ALFRED  BEXNETT.  85 

This  year  terminates  with  the  following  brief 
record  in  his  diary : 

"December  31. — Thus  closes  the  year  1815. 
And  why  is  my  life  spared  2  For  what  does  God 
continue  me,  but  to  witness  His  goodness  and  be 
useful  in  His  cause?  Thanks  be  to  His  holy 
name!  I  am  partaker  of  His  love  in  my  soul, 
and  experience  His  favor  in  my  family ;  but,  above 
all,  I  would  praise  Him  for  the  salvation  of  sinners 
around  me,  and  the  prosperity  of  the  church  of 
which  He  has  given  me  the  oversight." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

REVIVALS. 

"  OH,  that  this  year  may  be  peculiar  for  the 
enlargement  of  Zion,  both  in  the  increase  of  con- 
verts and  the  spread  of  Gospel  principles !"  was 
the  fervent  prayer  with  which  he  begun  the  year 
1816.  Nor  was  his  petition  unanswered.  A  rich 
outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  again  experi- 
enced, cheering  the  pastor's  heart  and  much  en- 
larging and  strengthening  the  church.  A  few  no- 
tices of  this  will  here  be  inserted  from  his  journal: 
8 


86  MEMOIR  OF 

"February  12,  13. — I  spent  these  days  with 
great  pleasure  in  the  east  part  of  the  town,  preach 
ing  and  visiting.  The  Lord  is  there,  of  a  truth. 
Oh,  that  many  may  be  converted ! 

"  14. — A  good  day  in  conference  at  the  meeting- 
house. 

"18. — Lord's  day.  Preached,  A.  M.,  from  Isa. 
xii.  1  :  P.  M.,  a  funeral  sermon  from  Mark  iv.  29. 
In  the  evening,  attended  a  good  conference  meet- 
ing. The  Lord,  in  His  good  pleasure,  having  seen 
fit  to  bless  His  people  in  this  place  again  by  the 
outpouring  of  His  spirit,  my  heart  has  been  so 
drawn  to  Him  and  His  people,  and  my  time  so 
taken  up  from  home,  preaching  and  visiting,  that 
I  have  neglected  to  continue  my  journal  as 
usual. 

"March  15. — Preached  at  Bro.  Keep's,  upon 
the  importance  of  entering  in  '  at  the  strait  gate,' 
and  then  baptized  six.  This  day  thought  I  felt 
something  of  the  value  of  souls  and  the  necessity 
of  regeneration.  Yet,  oh  my  soul !  what  if  thou 
at  last  art  found  without,  among  the  '  many'  that 
shall  not  'be  able  to  enter!'  My  God,  pity  my 
soul ;  forgive  my  sin.  Make  me  holy,  then  shall 
I  be  humble,  then  shall  I  be  happy. 

"March  17. — Enjoyed  a  good  season  at  the 
water  and  at  the  table  of  our  Lord. 


REV.    ALFRED   BENNETT.  87 

HCCW  condescending  and  how  kind 
Was  God's  eternal  Son,' 

It  was  pity  brought  Him  down,  and  when  here, 
what  examples  did  He  set !  The  institutions  oi 
the  Gospel,  how  wisely  adapted  for  the  refresh- 
ment of  the  saints !  Never  can  Jesus  be  praised 
enough  for  His  unspeakable  mercy. 

"April  14. — I  preached  and  administered  the 
ordinances  of  God's  house  in  the  church  of  Christ 
at  Dry  den.  It  was  a  good  day  to  many.  Jesus 
unveiled  His  lovely  face  and  gave  His  saints  de- 
light. The  church  there  is  surrounded  with  many 
enemies,  and  I  found  some  freedom  in  preaching 
to  them  from  this  text :  These  are  they  that  have 
come  up  out  of  great  tribulation" 

A  brief  account  of  this  revival  is  also  given  in 
the  historical  discourse  before  alluded  to :  it  is  as 
follows : 

"In  November,  1815,  the  truth  ministered  by 
the  pastor,  from  Prov.  xx.  4,  The  sluggard  will 
twt  plow  ~by  reason  of  the  cold,  therefore  shall  he 
leg  in  harvest  and  have  nothing,  though  sown  in 
weakness,  was  so  blessed  of  God  as  to  be  the  com- 
mencement of  another  season  of  refreshing,  which 
continued  with  undiminished  and  delightful  inter- 

o 

est  more  than  a  year  in  the  church  and  congrega- 
tion, bringing  many  excellent  and  efficient  mem- 


88  MEMOIR  OF 

bers  into  the  church,  whose  prayers  and  piety  are 
still  useful  to  the  world.  There  were  very  lew 
days,  for  more  than  twelve  months,  in  which  a 
meeting  was  not  holden  somewhere  in  the  town 
for  religious  worship.  And  during  the  whole 
summer,  when  meetings  were  held  in  the  after- 
noon, so  common  was  it  for  members  of  the  church 
to  attend,  and  even  go  miles  to  attend,  that  it  be- 
came a  common  saying  among  the  wicked,  that 
there  would  be  scarcity  of  provisions  that  year, 
for  Christians  did  not  work  half  their  time.  After- 
wards it  was  as  proverbial  with  the  brethren,  that 
they  had  seldom  if  ever  had  better  crops,  or  had 
them  gathered  in  better  season,  or  in  better  state, 
than  they  were  that  year ;  showing  most  clearly 
that  those  who  trust  in  God  and  do  good,  dwell  in 
the  land  and  are  fed" 

It  appears  that  more  than  a  hundred  were  added 
to  the  church  during  the  progress  of  this  work  of 
grace,  of  whose  steadfastness  in  the  Gospel,  under 
the  faithful  watch-care  of  their  pastor,  the  same 
cheering  account  is  given  as  of  those  in  the  previ- 
ous awakening.  A  letter  to  his  brother  Alvin, 
dated  November  18,  1817,  contains  a  view  of  his 
religious  exercises  at  that  period : 

"  Bro.  Asa  arrived  at  home  the  Saturday  after 
he  left  your  house,  in  good  spirits  and  satisfied 


REV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  89 

with  his  journey  and  visit.  He  thinks  it  may  be 
the  last  he  shall  ever  make.  Indeed,  how  im- 
portant to  act  ever  as  if  it  was  the  last  act ;  the 
last  visit  we  shall  ever  make,  when  we  call  on 
friends ;  the  last  prayer  we  shall  ever  offer,  when 
in  the  closet  we  reflect  upon  our  own  and  others' 
wants,  and  supplicate  God  for  help.  Oh,  that  the 
last  of  time  and  the  length  of  eternity  lay  with 
more  sensible  weight  upon  my  spirits  !  Methinks 
it  would  greatly  help  me  to  seek  the  glory  of  God 
in  all  I  do.  I  rejoice,  my  brother,  that  God  has 
given  you  a  privileged  place  in  Zion,  compared 
with  many  of  our  dear  brethren  in  the  ministry, 
but  far  more  do  I  rejoice  to  learn  of  your  firmness 
in  the  faith  and  usefulness  in  your  lot.  God 
grant  you  many  souls  as  the  fruit  of  your  labor, 
and  make  you  abundantly  instrumental  in  further- 
ing the  work  of  righteousness  and  holiness  among 
the  dear  people  of  your  care,  while  you  endure 
with  much  long-suffering  the  opposition  of  the 
wicked,  in  meekness  instructing  those  that  oppose 
themselves  to  the  truth,  that  God  may  give  them 
repentance  to  the  acknowledgment  of  the  salva- 
tion which  is  by  grace,  through  Jesus  Christ,  to 
the  praise  and  glory  of  God." 

Few  experimental  Christians  are  always  on  the 
mount  of  vision.    The  hill  of  Difficulty,  the  valley 
8* 


90  MEMOIR  OF 

of  the  Shadow  of  Death,  and  the  Enchanted 
Ground,  lie  in  the  Christian's  pilgrimage  to  the 
Celestial  City.  Bitter  draughts  must  often  be  ad- 
ministered by  the  Great  Physician  in  healing  the 
soul's  maladies  and  making  us  "  meet  to  be  par- 
takers of  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light:" 
nor  is  it  unfrequent  that  remaining  depravity  is 
permitted  to  remind  the  Christian  of  his  inherent 
weakness,  and  thus  lead  him  to  the  Rock  of  refuge. 
And  if  we  look  upward  to  the  throng  now  rejoicing 
in  perfected  love  before  the  Throne,  of  them  also 
is  it  true : 

"  Once  they  were  mourning  here  below, 
And  bathed  their  couch  with  tears ; 
They  struggled  hard  as  we  do  now 
With  sins,  and  doubts,  and  fears." 

A  letter  of  May  13,  1818,  contains  the  passage 
which  is  here  inserted,  giving  an  interesting  view 
of  his  inward  experience  : 

' '  God  was  manifest  in  the  flesh.  "What  a  wonder 
is  here !  Angels  see  Him  united  to  a  race  of 
beings  below  them,  and  that,  too,  a  race  of  sinners. 
They  desire  to  look  into  this  mystery.  God  was 
manifest  in  the  flesh ;  yea,  more,  He  was  made 
flesh  and  dwelt  among  us,  and  we  beheld  His 
glory.  When  I  consider  the  stupendous  grace  of 
God  to  men,  I  am  so  lost  in  the  amazing  deep  that 


EEV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  91 

I  can  only  exclaim,  It  passeih  knowledge !  Do 
you,  my  brother,  ever  find  your  thoughts  so  drawn 
out  upon  this  subject  as  to  be  unable  to  express 
the  views  before  you,  there  being  a  want  in  words 
to  convey  the  feelings  of  the  soul?  It  is  pleasant 
dwelling  on  the  mount  where,  with  Moses,  we 
may  look  eastward  and  westward,  northward  and 
southward,  and  still  be  in  the  boundless  prospect 
lost.  But  I  often  meet  much  harm  in  getting 
down  the  hill,  from  unbelief  on  the  one  hand,  and 
pride  on  the  other.  Those  falls  !  they  almost  take 
my  life.  And  then,  also,  I  am  sure  to  meet  Apol- 
lyon.  Many  a  time  has  he  seemed  to  think  him- 
self sure  of  me.  'Tis  grace  that  keeps  my  soul 
from  first  to  last.  Again,  do  you  ever  find  your- 
self so  stupid  and  dark  as  to  see  nothing  in  the 
glorious  mystery  of  godliness,  no  beauty  in  Jesus 
Christ,  no  light  in  the  Bible,  no  importance  in 
truth,  no  delight  in  the  saints,  no  value  in  souls,  no 
difference  in  men,  no  virtue  in  yourself,  no  harm 
in  sin?  Feelings  resembling  these  are  to  be 
dreaded  more  than  the  judgments  of  God. 

"  Far  more  the  treacherous  calm  I  dread, 
Than  tempests  bursting  o'er  my  head.' 

I  would  hope  that  you  are  not  compelled  to  groan, 
being  burdened  with  such  sinful  propensities.  I 


92  MEMOIR   OF 

think,  however,  of  late  I  have  felt  more  the  weight 
of  truth,  and  realized  more  fully  the  importance  of 
walking  with  God.  At  some  seasons,  I  have 
found  enlargement  of  mind  in  prayer  and  in 
preaching  the  Word.  Some  have  of  late  been 
called  to  hope  in  the  mercy  of  God,  but  the  revival 
is  not  yet  extensive.  There  is  a  pleasing  prospect 
of  its  increase,  but  the  residue  of  the  spirit  is  with 
the  Lord.  Oh  pray  for  us,  that  saints  may  live  to 
Christ,  and  sinners  bow  before  Him." 

The  most  powerful  of  the  revivals  which  distin- 
guished the  ministry  of  Mr.  Bennett,  occurred  in 
1820.  It  seems  to  have  been  attended  with  re- 
markable manifestations  of  Divine  power,  affect- 
ing in  a  peculiar  manner  the  whole  town.  Many 
who  then  first  experienced  hope  in  Christ  are  now 
pillars  in  the  Church  of  God,  and  live  to  attest  the 
pure  and  permanent  character  of  this  work  of 
grace.  Its  general  features  cannot  be  described 
better  than  in  the  language  of  an  article  from  Mr. 
Bennett's  pen,  published  in  the  "  Western  New 
York  Baptist  Magazine,"  of  1821,  and  addressed 
to  the  editors,  from  which  we  make  the  following 
extract : 

"In  December,  1819,  there  were  some  symp- 
toms of  another  gracious  revival ;  the  saints  seemed 
more  fervent  in  prayer,  and  there  was  a  greater 


KEV.   ALFRED  BENNETT.  93 

solemnity  visible  in  assemblies  convened  for  pub- 
lic worship.  There  was  also  one  instance  of  hope- 
ful conversion,  with  one  or  two  signal  instances  of 
reformation  in  backsliders.  About  the  first  of 
January,  at  a  meeting  of  an  ecclesiastical  council 
in  the  Presbyterian  church,  the  work  broke  forth 
in  a  more  visible  manner,  with  great  power,  ex- 
tending into  different  parts  of  the  town,  engaging 
the  attention  of  all  classes  in  society.  Many  of 
the  saints  experienced  great  enlargement  of  mind, 
and  entered  into  the  work  with  all  their  souls. 
Some  who  had  made  a  profession  of  religion  for 
many  years,  under  serious  apprehension  that  they 
had  built  upon  the  sand,  were  brought  to  great 
searchings  of  heart,  and  at  length  gave  account  of 
their  views  of  the  Saviour  with  such  transports  of 
joy,  as  resembled  the  day  of  their  espousals.  It 
was  hardly  possible  to  find  a  person  in  the  place 
unaffected  ;  all  seemed  to  be  moved. 

"  Meetings  became  unusually  crowded,  even  in 
the  largest  places  devoted  to  conferences ;  and  the 
houses  of  God  upon  the  Sabbath  were  filled  with 
numbers  assembled  to  hear  the  Gospel  of  Christ, 
and  an  indescribable  solemnity  was  visible  among 
the  people.  The  language  of  the  oldest  persons 
and  most  experienced  saints  among  us  was,  We 
never  saw  it  on  this  wise  before.  For  two  or  three 


94:  MEMOIR   OF 

weeks  the  cloud  seemed  to  hang  over  us  without 
distilling  its  contents.  This  was  a  time  when 
much  feeling,  and,  I  trust,  much  faith  was  exer- 
cised in  prayer.  At  length  the  cloud  seemed  to 
burst,  diffusing'  blessings  all  around ;  the  saints 
could  now  say,  the  joy  of  the  Lord  is  owr  strength, 
while  converts  daily  appeared  in  the  assemblies 
of  the  saints  compassing  God's  altar  with  songs  of 
deliverance.  In  one  neighborhood  on  East  River, 
sixteen  souls  hopefully  experienced  the  forgiveness 
of  sins  in  one  week,  within  the  compass  of  a  mile ; 
and  '  young  men  and  maidens,  old  men  and  chil- 
dren,' united  in  praising  the  Lord.  There  was 
very  little  secular  labor  performed  for  two  or  three 
months,  and  many  devoted  the  whole  of  their 
time  to  meetings  and  visiting  from  house  to  house. 
Some  went  two  and  two  (as  our  Lord  sent  forth 
His  disciples),  through  different  parts  of  the  town, 
calling  upon  every  family  on  their  way,  endeavor- 
ing to  do  them  good  in  their  conversation  and 
prayers  with  them.  And,  no  doubt,  this  was  one 
great  means  in  the  hand  of  God,  in  extending  the 
work. 

"The  first  that  united  with  the  church  were 
baptized  the  third  Sabbath  in  February.  On  that 
day,  there  were  thirteen  baptized,  ten  of  whom 
were  young  men  in  single  life,  who  followed  each 


REV.   ALFEED  BENNETT.  95 

other  in  succession  in  the  ordinance,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  a  large  and  deeply  affected  assembly. 
From  that  time,  during  the  spring  and  summer, 
scarcely  a  Sabbath  passed  without  waiting  upon 
some  in  this  institution  of  God.  The  whole  num- 
ber added  to  the  church  by  baptism,  since  the 
work  began,  is  one  hundred  and  twenty-six,  and 
fifteen  by  letter.  We  still  enjoy  good  seasons 
among  ourselves,  and  hope  that  God  will  always 
enable  us  to  walk  in  love,  but  the  Spirit  seems 
now  in  a  measure  to  be  withdrawn  from  among 
the  people." 

This  extensive  ingathering  of  souls,  so  far  from 
lifting  up  the  pastor's  heart  with  pride,  seems  to 
have  led  him  to  increased  self-abasement  and 
watchfulness.  "  Severe  conflicts,"  indeed,  he  men- 
tions, "  arising  from  pride  and  unbelief,"  but  the 
grace  of  God  made  him  a  victor  over  all. 

In  these  revivals,  as  well  as  in  ordinary  seasons, 
he  was  remarkably  aided  by  the  co-operation  of 
the  church.  There  were  active  Christians  around 
him,  whose  views  of  the  responsibility  of  the  Chris- 
tian profession  were  not  satisfied  with  a  mere  at- 
tendance upon  the  worship  of  the  Sabbath  and  a 
pecuniary  contribution  for  its  support;  but  they 
established  and  conducted  meetings  for  prayer, 
and  went  from  house  to  house  throughout  the 


96  MEMOIR   OF 

town,  often  thus  spending  days  and  even  weeks 
for  the  promotion  of  religion.  The  machinery  of 
modern  revivals  was  then  unknown,  and  the  mul- 
titudes thronged  the  sanctuary,  not  drawn  by  the 
eccentricities  of  the  preacher,  but  by  solemn  influ- 
ences from  on  high,  accompanying  the  earnest 
exertions  of  many  devoted  children  of  God.  The 
church,  not  the  preacher  only,  were  the  chief  hu- 
man agency  connected  with  these  manifestations 
of  heavenly  grace;  and  that,  not  merely  in  reli- 
gious meetings,  but  in  direct,  personal  exertions  in 
the  community. 

Another  distinguishing  feature  in  these  revivals 
was  the  union  of  spirit  among  Christians  of  differ- 
ent  denominations.  Mr.  Bennett,  in  his  descrip- 
tion of  these  seasons,  thus  speaks  : 

"  By  union  of  Christian  effort,  we  do  not  mean 
any  combination  of  influence  by  agreement,  either 
among  members  of  the  same  church  or  of  different 
churches,  but  a  most  hearty  co-operation  among 
the  people  of  God  in  the  work,  as  the  work  of  God, 
or  because  it  was  the  work  of  God.  In  none  of 
these  revivals,  is  it  believed,  the  spirit  or  feeling 
prevailed  to  any  great  extent,  that  it  was  a  Bap- 
tist, or  Presbyterian  revival,  or  that  the  revival 
was  among  any  denomination  as  such,  but  among 
the  citizens  of  Homer,  as  sinners  against  God. 


EEV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  97 

As  a  consequence,  the  weekly  meetings  for  confer- 
ence and  prayer  were  by  mutual  consent  set  up  in 
school-houses  in  different  districts  in  town,  and 
attended  in  common  by  all  the  neighbors,  and  by 
the  pastors  and  leading  brethren  in  both  the  Bap- 
tist and  Presbyterian  churches,  nearly  every  night 
for  months  together,  in  such  harmony,  that  a 
stranger  might  not  have  suspected  they  belonged 
to  different  denominations.  The  evenings  were 
almost  exclusively  employed  in  fervent  prayer  to 
God  for  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  conscious 
that  His  agency  was  indispensable,  attended  with 
most  humble  and  hearty  confession  of  sin,  and 
earnest,  spirited  appeals  to  the  people  for  their 
eternal  benefit  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ. 

"The  preaching,  in  these  revivals,  was  distinctly 
marked  with  that  truth  which  vindicated  God's 
government  over  His  creatures,  and  charged  the 
sinner  with  the  guilt  of  violating  His  holy  law. 
It  was  that  kind  of  preaching  which  seemed  more 
careful  to  please  God  than  to  be  approved  of  men ; 
which  showed  the  sinner  that,  while  his  misery 
was  the  result  of  his  own  choice,  his  salvation  and 
ultimate  happiness  depended  entirely  on  God's 
choice.  Of  course,  it  was  his  only  hope  and  in- 
dispensable duty  to  repent  and  believe  the  Gospel, 
and  look  to  God  through  the  atonement  of  Christ 
9 


98  MEMOIR  OF 

for  pardon  and  justification  as  an  act  of  His  sov- 
ereign grace.  Convictions  for  sin  were  deep  and 
pungent,  both  in  saints  and  sinners,  and  at  times 
it  was  hard  to  know  in  which  they  excelled,  for 
backsliders  returned  in  deed  and  in  truth,  and  not 
in  word  only. 

"The  conviction  of  the  sinner  arose  at  first 
from  a  sight  of  his  life ;  he  had  done  wrong,  and 
he  feared  justice,  and  awfully  trembled  in  view 
of  hell;  but  soon  he  saw  his  heart  was  worse, 
much  worse  than  his  life  had  been,  and  was  the 
Beat  of  the  difficulty,  for  it  was  enmity  against 
God  ;  that  the  imaginations  of  the  thoughts  of  the 
heart  were  evil,  and  had  been  evil  continually, 
and  therefore  there  was  no  hope  but  in  the  mercy 
of  God.  Truth  led  them  to  discover  that  nothing 
but  the  righteousness  of  Christ  imparted  to  them 
could  give  them  such  a  character  as  they  needed 
for  acceptance  with  God.  The  length  of  time  con- 
viction for  sin  continued,  varied  from  one  day  to 
three  weeks ;  generally,  from  one  to  two  weeks. 
It  was  not  a  common  thing  for  a  convicted  sinner 
to  find  peace  of  mind  in  public  meetings.  Few, 
it  is  believed,  date  their  conversion  in  the  confer- 
ence-room, or  while  others  were  praying  with 
them.  The  greater  number  gained  evidence  of 
pardon  from  God,  against  whom  they  had  sinned, 


EEV.    ALFRED   BENNETT.  99 

while  they  were  alone,  in  humble  prayer,  reading 
the  Bible,  or  in  silent  meditation. 

"  The  prevailing  exercises  of  the  converted  were 
love,  joy,  and  peace:  love  to  God  as  the  sov- 
ereign of  the  world,  to  Christ  as  the  Saviour  of 
sinners,  to  the  Bible,  the  people  and  service  of 
God.  The  holy  law  of  God,  which  was  their  chief 
trouble  before,  now  afforded  exquisite  delight. 
They  would  often  say,  Oh,  how  love  I  thy  law !  it 
is  my  meditation  all  the  day.  But  Christ,  the 
blessed  Christ,  was  the  theme  on  which  all  loved 
to  dwell.  He  seemed  to  occupy  most  of  the 
thoughts  and  affections,  and  out  of  the  abundance 
of  the  heart  the  mouth  spoke.  Christ  crucified 
occupied  a  large  place  in  all  the  exhortations  and 
addresses,  in  which  the  saints  gave  vent  to  their 
feelings  in  the  public  assembly,  and  by  which 
they  sought  to  win  back  their  fellow-sinners  from 
the  paths  of  the  destroyer." 

"We  are  apt  to  indulge  in  illusion  respecting  the 
past :  as  in  the  recollection  of  some  departed 
friend,  we  forget  the  faults  and  magnify  the  virtues. 
Nestor,  the  sage  of  the  Iliad,  is  ever  dilating  with 
the  garrulity  of  dotage  upon  the  majestic  warriors 
and  deeds  of  mighty  daring,  familiar  in  his  recol- 
lections of  other  days,  and  contrasting  with  the 
fathers  the  puny  and  degenerate  virtues  of  their 


100  MEMOIR  OF 

eons.  This  is  human  nature.  The  venerated  mea 
who  were  the  fathers  in  our  churches,  as  they  pass 
from  our  midst,  doubtless  often  become  enshrined 
by  our  imagination  in  exalted  excellencies  which 
exceed  the  reality.  So  also  of  events.  The  revi- 
vals of  former  years,  as  they  are  now  recounted 
to  us,  might  seem  to  be  attended  with  none  of  the 
evils  which,  in  the  present,  are  often  seen  to  ac- 
company them,  because  memory  recalls  only  the 
good  accomplished. 

While,  however,  we  make  all  proper  abatement 
for  this  obliviousness  to  the  evils  of  the  past ;  the 
disunion  in  churches,  the  great  defection  in  con- 
verts, and  the  general  deterioration  of  piety,  so 
often  following  revival  efforts  now,  cannot  fail  to 
impress  the  reader  with  a  conviction  that  other 
and  evil  elements  are  at  work  to  produce  results 
BO  diverse  from  those  above  recorded.  The  Chris- 
tian ought,  indeed,  still  to  utter  the  fervent  prayer 
of  the  prophet,  0  Lord,  revive  Thy  work,  as  the 
only  hope  of  true  spiritual  progress ;  but  it  may 
well  be  coupled  with  the  earnest  entreaty  that  the 
work  of  man,  in  the  temporary  excitement  of  the 
religious  passions,  be  not  impiously  substituted 
for  the  work  of  God,  and  disaster  and  desolation 
come  in  the  stead  of  blessing  and  the  fruits  of 
godliness. 


REV.   ALFRED  BENNETT.  101 


CHAPTER  VII, 

CONTEMPORARIES. 

INURING  his  earlier  life  as  pastor,  Mr.  Bennett 
occupied  a  conspicuous  position  amidst  a  group  of 
men  in  the  Madison  Association,  distinguished  by 
their  extraordinary  mental  endowments,  the  depth 
and  power  of  their  spiritual  exercises,  and  the 
wide-spread  influence  they  have  exerted.  The 
memory  of  these  godly  men  still  lingers  with  rich 
fragrance  in  the  hearts  of  the  fathers  in  our 
churches ;  but  as  that  generation  is  rapidly  disap- 
pearing in  the  tomb,  their  remembrance  must  soon 
pass  away,  and  their  record  be  left  only  on  high. 

Mostly  without  scholastic  education,  there  was 
yet  a  native  vigor  and  compass  of  intellect,  an 
intimate  acquaintance  with  the  letter  and  spirit  of 
the  Bible,  and  an  entireness  of  self-sacrifice  on  the 
altar  of  Christ,  which  gave  them  a  power  now 
seldom  wielded  in  the  ministry  or  the  church. 
Their  temporal  support  was  secured  chiefly  by 
their  own  toil :  thev  held  the  plow  and  swung  the 
9* 


102  MEMOIR   OF 

axe  with  the  sturdy  force  of  pioneers  in  the  forest. 
The  Scriptures  were  their  chief  library ;  the  woods 
and  fields,  where  upon  their  knees  they  wrestled 
with  God,  were  the  place  of  their  study.  They 
went  thus  into  the  log-cabin,  or  the  humble  school- 
house,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  gathered  crowd, 
spake  of  Christ  and  His  salvation  with  a  Divine 
unction  and  power  which  was  evidently  from  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Often  held  in  deep  distrust  by 
Christians  of  other  names,  and  menaced  with  petty 
persecution,  the  hearts  of  these  early  ministers 
were  only  knit  the  more  closely  in  their  own 
brotherhood. 

Nor  were  the  ministry  alone  distinguished. 
There  were  men  of  peculiar  force  of  character  and 
godly  zeal  in  less  public  station.  Nearly  every 
church  numbered  a  few  such  among  its  founders ; 
men  mighty  in  the  Scriptures  and  in  prayer,  full 
of  faith  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Their  houses 
were  the  hospitable  home  of  the  weary  minister 
on  his  way  to  some  distant  appointment,  the  place 
where  the  neighborhood  assembled  for  prayer  and 
preaching,  and  noted  in  the  spiritual  history  of 
many  around  as  associated  with  their  conversion 
to  God.  These  holy  men  often  spent-  weeks  in 
visiting  from  house  to  house,  to  converse  upon  the 
interests  of  the  soul  and  plead  with  God  for  the 


REV.    ALFRED   BENNETT.  103 

salvation  of  their  fellow-men.  At  the  close  of  the 
sermon  on  the  Sabbath,  it  was  customary  for  some 
one  or  more  of  them  to  take  up  the  preacher's 
theme  and  make  a  practical  application  of  it  to 
the  congregation ;  and  not  seldom  was  the  exhor- 
tation of  the  deacon  attended  with  mightier  energy 
than  the  discourse  of  the  "Elder" — this  last  being 
then  the  common  designation  of  a  pastor,  whether 
he  were  in  youth  or  age.  Among  them  stood 
Jonathan  Olmstead,  with  Samuel  and  Elisha 
Payne,  of  Hamilton ;  the  now  venerable  Ebenezer 
Wakely,  of  Pitcher ;  with  Asa  Bennett  and  John 
Keep,  of  Homer.  These,  with  other  distinguished 
laymen,  whom  the  limits  of  this  work  do  not  per- 
mit me  to  mention,  were  men  of  peculiar  might. 
Their  intellectual  power  was  associated  with  great 
depth  of  experimental  religion  ;  in  maturing  plans 
for  extending  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  they  were 
gifted  with  extraordinary  wisdom ;  and  seldom 
was  there  a  revival  of  religion  whose  approach 
was  not  betokened  by  the  increasing  fervor  and 
strengthening  faith  of  these  holy  men. 

The  Association  was  the  meeting  of  chief  inter- 
est. To  this  hallowed  gathering  the  elders  and 
brethren  came  up  with  great  gladness,  as  to  one 
of  the  richer  feasts  of  Zion.  Their  garments  were 
only  of  homespun,  but  beneath  them  beat  hearts 


104:  MEMOIR   OF 

glowing  with  love  to  Christ  and  to  one  another, 
and  the  greetings  had  a  warmth  and  godly  sincer- 
ity, which  the  "  progress"  of  nearly  half  a  century 
has  not  increased.  Happily,  an  Association  had 
not  then  become  a  merely  fiscal  organization,  or  a 
place  where  every  agitator  went  to  quarrel  for  his 
peculiar  "resolutions;"  but  Christian  brethren 
met  to  mingle  holy  sympathies  in  mutual  trials, 
invoke  in  unison  the  presence  and  anointing  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  give  themselves  afresh  for 
the  work  of  Christ.  In  the  earliest  times,  no 
person  was  previously  appointed  to  deliver  the 
annual  sermon ;  but  when  they  were  assembled, 
by  general  consent,  some  member  was  requested 
to  speak  to  them  the  Gospel ;  and  often  these  ex- 
temporaneous effusions  were  attended  with  great 
power.  When  they  parted,  it  was  usually  with 
tears,  and  many  were  the  revival  influences  which 
went  forth  from  this  holy  convocation. 

Prominent  among  the  compeers  of  Mr.  Bennett 
was  Ashbel  Hosmer,  pastor  at  Hamilton.  Without 
classical  education,  he  was  a  man  of  rare  natural 
eloquence,  sound  in  judgment,  quick  of  discern- 
ment, and  indefatigable  in  his  exertions.  "Great 
and  unwearied  were  his  labors  for  the  cause  of 
truth  ;  travelling  night  and  day,  in  heat  and  frost, 
snow  and  rain,  through  dismal  wilds  and  unbeaten 


BEV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  105 

roads,  oftentimes  hungry,  wet,  and  cold,  without 
any  prospect  of  pecuniary  reward."  One  of  the 
first  in  the  ministry  who  had  settled  west  of  the 
Hudson,  he  was  a  pioneer  in  the  wilderness,  and 
stood  until  his  death  a  leader  among  the  churches. 
He  died,  1812,  "with  unshaken  confidence  in  that 
Redeemer  whose  cause  he  so  zealously  espoused, 
and  whose  Gospel  he  preached  with  so  much  fer- 
vency." 

Younger,  but  of  higher  mental  power,  was 
Salmon  Morton,  the  pastor  of  Madison.  The 
"  law-work"  in  his  religious  experience  had  heen 
deep  and  powerful ;  it  was  through  fearful  mental 
struggles  he  passed  from  darkness  and  despair  to 
the  light  and  glory  of  the  Cross.  He  was  a  man 
of  giant  intellect,  with  wonderful  compass  and 
power  of  expressign.  Often  would  he  hold  an 
assembly  for  two  hours  in  rapt  attention,  while 
he  unfolded  the  profound  mysteries  of  redemption. 
Learned,  in  the  technical  sense,  he  was  not;  but 
educated  he  was,  if  powers  disciplined  to  rigid 
investigation,  a  wide  grasp  of  thought,  and  ex- 
tended acquisitions  in  biblical  and  theological 
knowledge,  are  true  marks  of  education.  Deficient 
in  the  practical  wisdom  of  the  pastor,  his  power 
lay  in  the  pulpit,  especially  in  the  development  of 
the  profounder  themes  of  the  Gospel :  the  opposer 


106  MEMOIE  OF 

and  the  skeptic  have  often  trembled  before  him. 
"His  zeal  in  a  day  of  persecution  would  have 
brought  him  speedily  to  a  martyr's  stake.  Though 
valiant  in  soul,  he  was  often  tender  and  humble  as 
a  child.  Seldom  did  he  preach  a  sermon  without 
tears  flowing,  under  a  sense  of  the  condition  of  the 
impenitent,  or  the  infinite  depth  of  divine  com- 
passion." He  entered  into  rest  in  1822. 

Obed  Warren,  of  Eaton,  was  another  among 
the  worthies  around  the  earlier  life  of  Mr.  Bennett. 
Above  the  ordinary  stature,  of  ruddy  countenance, 
expressive  of  great  resolution  and  energy,  he  was 
always  in  motion.  He  feared  not  the  face  of  man, 
but  with  an  unflinching  faithfulness,  which  re- 
minded you  of  Paul,  he  shunned  not  to  declare  all 
the  counsel  of  God,  and  ceased  not  to  warn  every 
one  night  and  day  with  tears.  Sound  in  doctrine, 
"his  preaching  was  plain,  practical,  and  impres- 
sive." In  council,  he  was  quick,  impulsive ;  his 
conclusions  seemed  rather  the  result  of  intuition 
than  of  reasoning,  yet  they  were  ordinarily  verified 
by  the  most  extended  investigation ;  and  his 
prayers,  added  to  his  counsels,  would  always  in- 
spire you  with  confidence  and  hope.  The  dying 
words  of  this  man  of  God  were  the  natural  con- 
clusion of  his  life :  Farewell!  I  ampwe  from 
the  Hood  of  all  men. 


REV.    ALFRED   BENNETT.  107 

JohnLawton,  of  German,  was  one  of  the  seniors 
among  his  brethren.  Above  the  medium  height 
and  somewhat  slender  in  person,  a  countenance 
grave  and  mild  was  expressive  of  the  qualities 
which  distinguished  him.  He  was  a  "  Mr.  Stand- 
fast ;"  not  a  man  to  be  turned  from  the  right  path 
either  by  passion  or  by  novelty,  but  always  sound 
in  the  Scriptures,  pursuing  with  steady,  unosten- 
tatious zeal  the  holy  work  of  the  ministry.  Judi- 
cious in  counsel,  kind,  earnest,  and  dignified  in 
manner,  the  universal  affection  with  which  he  was 
regarded  would  be  naturally  blended  with  feelings 
of  veneration.  His  power  in  the  pulpit  was  not 
in  those  startling  thoughts  and  bursts  of  passion 
which  suddenly  arouse  the  intenser  emotions; 
but  his  words,  distilling  as  the  dew,  with  refresh- 
ing influence,  calmed  the  agitated  soul  and  awoke 
gentler  and  holier  trains  of  thought  and  emotion. 
He  was  the  man  to  be  implicitly  trusted,  of 
weighty  opinion,  and  whose  character  the  breath 
of  reproach  could  never  tarnish.  "  The  wilderness 
and  the  solitary  place"  were  made  glad  by  him ; 
his  indefatigable  labors,  though  now  without  written 
record,  are  indelibly  marked  in  the  earlier  history 
of  many  churches  in  that  region,  and  in  the  "  book 
of  remembrance"  before  the  Lord. 

Peter  P.  Roots  was  for  several  years  the  only  man 


108  MEMOIR   OF 

of  classical  education.  For  eighteen  years,  Be  was 
almost  incessantly  engaged  as  a  missionary,  often 
at  his  own  expense,  during  which  he  ordinarily 
rode  three  thousand  miles  a  year,  and  preached 
three  hundred  sermons.  Portly  in  form  and  of 
countenance  benignant,  his  life,  though  intensely 
active,  was  overcast  for  the  most  part  by  religions 
depression.  His  discourses  were  "evangelical, 
sensible,  plain,  and  richly  stored  with  Scripture 
truth."  His  was  the  learned  pen  which  the  less 
literary  of  his  brethren  invoked,  to  point  their 
crude  sentences  and  aid  in  giving  just  written  ex- 
pression to  their  sentiments.  Like  good  "Mr. 
Tearing,"  though  his  life  had  been  full  of  doubts, 
his  dying  hours  were  filled  with  holy  comfort  and 
triumph  ;  and  it  was  observed,  "  the  water  of  that 
river  was  lower  at  this  time  than  ever  I  saw  it  in 
my  life,  and  he  went  over  at  last,  not  much  above 
wetshod." 

Of  somewhat  different  characteristics  was  John 
Peck,  then  in  youth,  the  active  pastor  of  Cazenovia. 
Gentle  and  winning  in  manner,  he  touched  the 
tenderer  chords  in  the  heart  with  a  persuasive 
power,  which  often  effected  more  than  the  most 
masterly  reasonings  and  the  loftiest  bursts  of  elo- 
quence. Simple  and  unpretending,  grave  and 
earnest,  there  was  a  heavenly-mindedness  in  con- 


REV.   ALFRED  BENNETT.  109 

versation  and  prayer,  an  unaffected  sincerity  in 
his  discourses,  and  a  weeping  compassion  in  his 
appeals,  which  carried  conviction  to  the  conscience 
and  disarmed  all  opposition.  He  was  wise  in 
winning  souls,  and  revivals  were  continually 
around  him.  Prudent  in  counsel,  and  eminently 
blessed  as  a  peacemaker,  there  was  no  man  who 
ruled  with  greater  power  in  the  hearts  of  his 
brethren.  Love  was  the  element  he  breathed, 
and  it  was  diffused  all  around  him. 

Nathaniel  Kendrick,  of  Eaton,  was  a  man  of 
more  capacious  mind.  Though  devoid  of  classical 
attainments,  he  was  even  at  this  period  a  profound 
thinker  in  theology.  Tall  and  muscular  in  form, 
Blow  and  measured  in  speech,  except  when  roused 
by  the  glow  and  energy  of  mental  action,  com- 
bining in  the  expression  of  his  features  great  force 
of  character  with  high  intellectual  power,  he  was 
always  a  leader  whose  weighty  judgment  gave 
direction  to  the  counsels  of  the  brotherhood.  On 
occasions  of  great  magnitude,  when  the  cause 
needed  a  powerful  advocate,  the  lot  commonly  fell 
on  "Elder  Kendrick,"  whose  literary  acquire- 
ments, depth  of  thought,  and  disciplined  powers, 
eminently  fitted  him  to  make  the  proper  impres- 
sion. His  library  was  the  common  resort  for  the 
resolution  of  doubtful  theological  questions,  and 
10 


110  MEMOIR  OF 

"  the  counsel,  which  he  counselled  in  those  days, 
was  as  if  a  man  inquired  at  the  oracle  of  God." 

Others  there  were,  also  distinguished,  as  the 
venerated  Thomas  Pivrinton,  of  Truxton,  and 
Daniel  Hascall,  of  Hamilton,  then  in  their  prime 
and  might,  whose  revered  forms  are  still  among 
us,  and  whose  eulogies,  therefore,  we  may  not  be 
permitted  to  record. 

Probably  few  preachers  of  the  present  day  have 
equalled  in  pulpit  power  these  earlier  servants  of 
God.  They  were  mostly  men  who  had  been  forced 
into  the  work  by  the  urgency  of  conviction.  A 
woe  was  upon  them,  if  they  preached  not  the  Gos- 
pel. "Without  educational  advantages,  they  were 
men  of  original  thought,  and  drank  in  truth  from 
no  secondary  springs,  but  at  the  pure  fountain  of 
God's  Word.  Their  dependence  on  the  Spirit  of 
God  was  constant  and  heartfelt.  In  this  lay  their 
.great  strength.  They  preached,  as  well  as  prayed, 
in  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  effects  following  were 
often  of  the  most  striking  character,  and  such  as 
are  now  rarely  witnessed,  except  in  seasons  o*f 
special  revival.  Experimental  religion  was  the 
theme  of  their  ministry ;  and  if  they  dwelt  much 
upon  the  deeper  doctrines  of  the  Gospel,  it  was 
because  these  foundation  truths  were  closely  asso- 
ciated with  their  own  profound  religious  exercises. 


REV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  Ill 

The  "strong  meat"  dealt  out  by  these  faithful 
stewards  of  God,  made  healthy  and  vigorous 
Christians,  rising  "  unto  the  measure  of  the  stature 
of  the  fulness  of  Christ ;"  of  whom  not  a  few  re- 
main, exhibiting  a  distinctness  of  doctrinal 
views,  a  ripeness  of  religious  experience,  and  a 
pureness  of  Christian  character,  which  attest  the 
mighty  power  of  the  doctrine  of  grace,  as  an  ele- 
ment of  Christian  development. 

From  the  men  thus  associated  went  forth  influ- 
ences of  great  power.  Among  them  originated 
the  Hamilton  Baptist  Missionary  Society,  under 
whose  auspices  a  large  number  of  churches  in 
Central  New  York  were  organized  and  grew  up 
to  strength,  and  which  subseqiiently  became  a 
chief  constituent  element  in  the  New  York  Baptist 
State  Convention.  From  agencies  in  their  midst, 
also,  arose  the  New  York  Baptist  Education  So- 
ciety and  the  Hamilton  Literary  and  Theological 
Institution,  over  whose  destinies  Kendrick  and 
Hascall  long  presided,  and  by  which  multitudes 
have  been  aided  in  a  preparation  for  the  ministry, 
and  sent  forth  to  bless  the  world.  Men  of  self- 
denial,  faith,  and  prayer,  not  of  titled  learning, 
but  of  great  mental  and  moral  strength,  they  were 
honored  of  Heaven  in  the  pioneer  work  connected 
with  the  Redeemer's  kingdom. 


112  MEMOIR   OF 

Among  these  men,  Mr.  Bennett  held  a  distin- 
guished position.  His  presence  was  always  hailed 
with  joy  in  the  association,  the  council,  or  other 
gathering  of  the  brotherhood.  Eminently  warm 
hearted  and  social,  frank  and  generous,  he  was  9 
universal  favorite  in  the  ministry.  The  announce 
ment  that  he  was  to  preach  on  any  public  occasioi . 
would  always  collect  a  crowd.  The  effects  of  hi» 
preaching  in  later  life,  though  often  remarkable, 
probably  never  equalled  those  produced  by  his 
efforts  at  this  period,  while  the  fire  and  energy  of 
youth  were  undiminished  by  physical  exhaustion 
and  infirmity.  Often  has  a  whole  assembly  sat 
and  wept,  as  from  his  capacious  soul,  which 
seemed  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  he  poured 
forth  the  melting  truths  of  the  Gospel,  and  spake 
of  the  value  of  the  soul  and  the  realities  of  an 
eternal  world.  A  heavenly  glow  would  seem  to 
light  up  the  speaker's  mind,  and  his  lips  had 
utterance  in  burning  words,  as  if  touched  with  a 
living  coal  from  the  altar  of  God. 


REV.   ALFRED  BENNETT.  113 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

CLOSING    PASTORAL    WORK. 

THE  missionary  spirit,  which  was  already  burning 
in  the  bosom  of  the  pastor,  he  sought  to  enkindle 
in  the  hearts  of  the  converts  gathered  into  the 
church  during  the  revivals  which  have  been  men- 
tioned. At  his  suggestion  a  missionary  society 
was  organized  among  the  young  people,  two  of 
whose  members  afterwards  went  forth  to  labor 
among  the  heathen :  this  association  continues  a 
means  of  much  usefulness  to  the  present  day. 

The  Oneida  Indians,  then  a  tribe  of  very  con- 
siderable extent,  early  attracted  the  attention  of 
the  Hamilton  Baptist  Missionary  Society;  and 
at  the  close  of  1819,  a  deputation,  consisting  of 
Messrs.  Bennett  and  Lawton,  was  sent  to  explore 
the  field,  with  reference  to  the  establishment  of  a 
mission  among  them.  They  were  received  with 
much  cordiality  on  the  part  of  most,  and,  after  a 
season  of  great  interest,  returned  with  a  report 
favoring  the  proposed  enterprise.  He  was  en- 
gaged in  1820  and  1821  in  temporary  agencies 
10* 


114  MEMOIR   OF 

for  the  above  society,  and  his  journal  shows  the 
great  interest  he  felt  in  the  extension  of  the  Gospel. 
Numerous  societies  for  missionary  purposes  were 
organized  during  these  tours.  In  1822  we  find 
the  following  record  in  a  brief  journal : 

"  Oct.  8. — Commending  my  dear  family  and 
people  to  Almighty  God,  I  set  out  as  agent  for  the 
Hamilton  Baptist  Missionary  Society,  to  visit  the 
Eastern  States,  and  make  collections.  My  spirits 
were  much  depressed,  but  found  them  a  little 
raised  by  Christian  society  on  the  way. 

"  9. — Met  with  the  Board  at  Oneida,  and  re- 
ceived instructions  for  my  journey.  How  incom- 
petent to  the  work  upon  which  I  am  entering! 
O  Lord,  except  thy  presence  go  with  me,  send  me 
not  up  !  In  the  afternoon  attended  a  council  with 
the  Indians :  found  them  anxious  for  instruction. 
Meditated  upon  their  deplorable  situation,  and 
said,  with  more  than  common  feeling,  Who  hath 
made  me  to  differ  ?  After  the  setting  of  the  sun, 
when  we  had  commended  each  other  to  God,  on 
whom  we  believed,  I  took  my  leave  of  the  brethren 
with  a  heavy  heart." 

During  this  journey,  upon  which  he  seems  to 
have  entered  with  many  misgivings  respecting  his 
adaptation  for  such  a  work,  he  visited  Connecticut, 
Rhode  Island,  and  Massachusetts,  and  was  every- 


EEV.    ALFRED   BENNETT.  115 

where  received  with  great  respect  and  kindness. 
His  interviews  with  Dr.  Gano,  at  Providence,  and 
Dr.  Baldwin,  in  Boston,  are  mentioned  with  spe- 
cial interest.  A  visit  to  his  parents  is  thus  de- 
scribed : 

"  17. — Arrived  at  my  father's  house,  and  found 
my  parents  in  usual  health.  In  the  mutual  indul- 
gence of  social  and  natural  feeling,  we  sat  down 
together,  and  together  knelt  down  before  the 
Throne.  I  then  retired,  and  was  led  to  reflect 
upon  the  blessings  of  a  father's  house.  The  chil- 
dren of  God  shall  always  live  in  their  Father's 
house,  and  eat  at  their  Father's  table." 

He  was  absent  on  this  tour  seven  weeks,  during 
which  he  travelled  in  his  own  conveyance  more 
than  one  thousand  miles,  and  collected  for  the 
Indian  Mission  nearly  five  hundred  dollars — a 
result  which  was  regarded  then  as  most  successful. 

Though  constantly  engaged  thus  in  active  exer- 
tion for  the  Redeemer's  kingdom,  his  cup  was  not 
one  of  unmingled  joy.  A  letter  of  December  27, 
1823,  reveals  some  of  the  trials  with  which  he  was 
encompassed : 

"  Surely,  the  goodness  and  mercy  of  God  are 
from  everlasting  to  everlasting.  If  I  ask  myself 
why  I  have  hope  in  Christ,  I  can  only  say,  because 
God  would  have  it  so. 


116  MEMOIB  OF 

'  'T  was  the  same  love  that  spread  the  feast 

Which  sweetly  forced  me  in  ; 
Else  I  had  still  refused  to  taste, 
.And  perished  in  my  sin.' 

I  am  compelled  to  say  and  write  bitter  things 
against  myself.  My  heart  is  cold  and  hard ;  my 
understanding,  dark.  I  feel  a  great  want  of  hu- 
mility. Oh,  that  I  were  as  in  months  past,  when 
the  candle  of  the  Lord  shone  round,  about  me,  and 
Try  His  light  I  walked  through  darkness  !  That 
which  I  find  in  myself,  which  occasions  sorrow,  is 
not  all  my  grief.  Zion  here  is  languishing.  Many 
churches  are  without  ministers ;  some  in  deep 
difficulty.  Nearly  all  are  without  any  special 
revival." 

The  spirit  of  emigration  at  this  time,  also,  began 
to  come  over  the  church  like  an  overwhelming 
flood,  and  very  many  of  the  younger  members 
removed  westward.  Though  it  was  pleasant  to 
him  to  know  that  they  went  forth  in  the  spirit  and 
power  of  the  Gospel,  the  loss  was  also  deeply  felt, 
especially  as  death  began  now  to  take  away  some 
of  the  pillars  in  the  church.  His  brother,  Deacon 
Asa  Bennett,  was  removed  by  death  in  1825 ;  and 
Judge  Keep,  also,  became  enfeebled,  and  though 
he  lingered  longer,  a  few  years  after  was  taken 
up  to  rest.  These  were  the  companions  of  his 


EEV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  117 

lr  ministry,  men  upon  whom  he  had  been  wont 
to  lean  for  many  years.  Their  sound  judgment, 
earnest,,  practical  godliness,  and  enlightened  zeal, 
had  contributed  much  to  his  success  as  a  pastor. 
Of  the  former  it  is  recorded,  "  he  devoted  his  time 
frequently  for  weeks,  and,  in  one  instance,  for 
three  months  together,  in  visiting  from  house  to 
house  by  day,  exhorting  and  praying  with  families, 
and  in  the  evening  attending  conference  and 
prayer  meetfngs,  or  otherwise  laboring  for  the 
extension  of  the  cause  of  Christ  in  the  world." 
The  loss  of  two  such  men  bore  heavily  upon  the 
heart  of  the  bereaved  servant  of  God. 

The  dying  hours  of  Deacon  Asa  Bennett,  which 
were  eminently  characteristic  of  his  active  life, 
are  thus  described  in  the  language  of  his  brother 
Alfred : 

"  For  months  before  he  died,  he  wished  to  hear 
no  conversation  upon  things  earthly;  he  would 
say,  I  have  done  with  these  things ;  they  afford 
me  no  entertainment;  talk  on  death,  judgment, 
heaven,  eternity ;  these  things  I  am  approaching, 
and  these  are  all-important  to  me  and  others  also. 
Much  useful  instruction  was  from  time  to  time 
communicated  by  him:  the  following  remarks 
will  serve  as  a  specimen. 

"At  one  time  he  said,  I  have  much  company  of 


118  MEMOIR   OF 

the  best  kind,  such  as  ministers,  deacons,  and 
eminently  pious  Christian  friends ;  yet  in  them  I 
can  discover  much  that  is  unlike  the  glorious  Sa- 
viour. What  then  must  we  think  of  many  pro- 
fessors, and  in  what  an  awful  condition  must  the 
world  be,  which  lieth  in  wickedness  about  us ! 

"  To  the  pastor  of  the  church,  who  had  been  for 
some  months  laid  by  from  pulpit  labors,  through 
bodily  indisposition,  he  said,  My  work  is  done, 
but  I  think  God  will  yet  raise  you  up  for  further 
usefulness  in  the  church,  and  if  you  ever  do  get 
able  to  preach  again,  \>e  faithful  to  God,  and  deal 
with  souls  in  earnest ;  urge  upon  the  people  the 
necessity  of  personal,  practical  holiness.  Many 
mistake  the  object  entirely,  while  they  live  stupid 
and  encumbered  with  the  cares  of  this  world,  and 
yet  hope  that  when  they  come  to  be  sick  and  die, 
they  shall  enjoy  religion.  Tell  them  that  afflic- 
tion, sickness,  and  death  will  not  give  comfort,  or 
secure  to  them  any  evidence  of  their  good  estate : 
it  is  the  Spirit  and  love  of  God  in  the  heart  which 
will  give  this,  and  that  must  be  secured  by  a  life 
devoted  to  God  in  holy  obedience  through  Jesus 
Christ.  Some  depend  much  upon  the  last  moments 
of  life,  and  inquire  with  much  earnestness,  how 
did  the  person  feel  ?  what  did  he  say  ?  This  is  no 
certain  test  of  a  sinner's  good  estate.  Necessity 


REV.    ALFRED    BENNETT.  119 

may  induce  a  person  then  to  say  that  which  the 
heart  never  subscribed  to.  It  is  an  awful  place  to 
make  a  wreck,  just  as  they  think  they  are  entering 
the  port  of  Heaven !  Men  will  die  as  they  live ; 
the  character  is  formed  for  heaven  or  hell  in  life^ 
not  in  death.  Oh,  that  they  could  see  this  as  it 
appears  to  me !  Tell  sinners  to  repent  and  believe 
the  Gospel ;  urge  the  necessity  of  it ;  exhibit  the 
holiness  of  the  law  of  God ;  hold  up  the  glorious 
character  of  a  crucified  Redeemer  in  the  Gospel ; 
persuade,  beseech  them  to  be  reconciled  to  God. 
Death,  judgment,  and  an  awful  hell  are  just  before 
them,  and  they  heed  it  not ;  they  are  asleep,  yea, 
dead  in  their  sins. 

"At  another  time,  some  of  the  youth  of  the 
church  and  congregation  visited  him,  and  spent 
some  time  in  singing  hymns,  one  of  which  begins : 

'  From  •whence  doth  this  union  arise  ?' 

In  the  last  stanza  the  following  words  delighted 
him  much : 

'  And  all  His  bright  glory  shall  see; 

It  was  his  favorite  hymn,  but  it  seemed  new  to 
him  then.  I  am,  said  he,  going  into  that  glory 
immediately — it  is  near — it  does  not  seem  to  be 
an  arm's  length — no,  it  is  here,  right  before  ine! 


120  MEMOIR  OF 

The  special  savor  of  tins  lasted  with  him  several 
days." 

The  departure  of  this  excellent  servant  of  God, 
though  thus  triumphant,  left  the  bereaved  brother 
and  pastor  in  deep  affliction;  for  it  pleased  the 
Lord,  also,  to  visit  him  with  severe  illness.  In 
March,  1825,  as  intimated  above,  he  was  laid 
aside  from  all  public  labors,  and  for  seven  montha 
did  not  resume  his  place  in  the  pulpit.  Much 
alarm  was  felt  lest  death  should  remove  him,  too, 
from  his  earthly  usefulness.  Of  this  period  he 
remarks,  in  a  letter  dated  May  1,  1825  : 

"It  seemed  to  me  quite  likely  my  time  had 
come  to  die.  But  I  could  not  say  that  I  was  in 
perfect  readiness  to  go.  I  thought  of  my  com- 
panion and  children:  they  were  dear  to  me.  I 
looked  on  them  and  loved  them ;  yet  felt  as  though 
I  could  leave  them  with  more  composure  than  I 
could  part  with  the  dear  people  of  my  charge. 
The  condition  in  which  the  church  would  be  left 
affected  me  much,  and  sometimes  held  my  eyes 
waking  in  the  night  watches.  Deacon  Bennett  has 
served  his  generation,  I  believe,  according  to  the 
will  of  God.  He  is  going  down  to  the  grave,  and 
has  probably  done  all  he  ever  will  do  for  the 
Church.  Well,  thought  I,  must  Zion  be  deprived 
of  one  of  her  best  members,  and  this  church  of 


EEV.   ALFRED   BENUKTT.  121 

its  most  useful  deacon,  and  its  poor,  unworthy 
pastor  at  the  game  time !  When,  also,  I  consid- 
ered the  state  of  the  world  lying  in  wickedness 
around  me,  with  few  to  lift  their  warning  voice,  or 
point  inquiring  souls  to  the  Lamb  of  God,  I  was 
inclined  still  to  remain  in  the  flesh,  and  labor  a 
little  longer  for  the  establishment  of  saints  and 
the  conversion  of  sinners.  At  present  I  am 
slowly  recovering,  and  am  now  concerned,  should 
I  come  back  again  to  life,  lest  I  be  a  burden  rath- 
er than  a  blessing.  Plow  unhappy  must  he  be 
who,  under  the  reign  of  grace,  does  not  return 
again  according  to  the  mercy  received !" 

These  trials,  however,  were  only  as  the  gloom 
of  night  which  deepens  before  the  coming  day. 
While  he  was  yet  in  feeble  health,  another  gra- 
cious revival  began  its  work  in  the  congregation, 
the  effects  of  which  were  hardly  less  extensive 
than  in  1820.  From  a  letter  addressed  to  his 
"  Honored  Parents,"  December  23,  1825,  descrip- 
tive of  the  beginning  of  this  work,  we  take  the 
following : 

"  I  attended  a  conference  last  week  on  Thursday 
evening  at  the  East  Settlement.  The  school-house 
is  large  and  convenient,  but  it  was  filled  to  over- ; 
flowing.  The  meeting  opened  about  six  o'clock, 
and  until  nine  the  time  was  well  occupied.  Thirty- 
It 


123  MEMOIR   OF 

eight  different  persons  spoke  on  the  subject  of 
religion  with  great  solemnity  and  interest,  while 
the  most  profound  attention  prevailed  through 
t-he  assembly,  notwithstanding  they  were  uncom- 
fortably crowded.  Among  the  number  who  spoke 
were  three  lads,  about  fifteen  years  of  age,  who 
told  us  of  the  joy  in  religion  which  they  had  ex- 
perienced within  a  few  days  past.  Tuesday  and 
part  of  Wednesday  I  spent  in  visiting  from  house 
to  house  on  East  River,  when  I  conversed  with 
about  fifty  persons,  old  and  young,  nearly  all  of 
whom  seemed  more  or  less  affected  by  the  Spirit 
of  Truth.  The  members  of  the  church  living  in 
that  neighborhood  were  much  engaged,  and  others, 
who  had  once  indulged  hope,  began  to  feel  the 
importance  of  either  acting  in  accordance  with  it, 
or  seeking  a  better  one :  sinners  viewed  them- 
selves in  much  danger,  and  were  deeply  troubled 
to  know  what  they  must  do  to  be  saved. 

"  What  will  be  the  event  of  this  excitement 
among  the  people,  I  know  not.  My  soul's  desire 
is  that  they  may  be  saved.  God  is  able  to  work 
by  His  Holy  Spirit,  building  up  the  Church,  and 
appearing  in  His  glory.  Without  Sim,  we  can 
do  nothing.  I  was  always  unworthy  of  the  min- 
istry, and  very  incapable  of  fulfilling  its  important 
work  :  if  God  has  ever  accomplished  any  good  by 


BET.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  123 

me,  it  has  been  by  taking  one  of  the  weak  things 
to  confound  the  mighty,  and  to  Him  be  all  the 
glory.  My  mind  has  been  much  quickened  of 
late.  The  Gospel  and  the  Saviour  appear  pre- 
cious ;  the  Scriptures  are  full  of  sweetness,  the 
souls  of  men  seem  valuable,  time  looks  short, 
and  death,  judgment,  and  eternity  appear  near. 
What  sweet  entertainment  will  the  saints  have 
with  the  Saviour  in  the  heavenly  state  !  free  from 
sin,  and  made  like  unto  their  Lord.  When  the 
powers  of  the  soul  become  sufficiently  strength- 
ened (as  they  will  at  death)  to  endure  those  visions 
of  glory  which  will  break  upon  the  enraptured 
sight,  and  enjoy  that  exceeding  and  eternal  weight 
of  glory  before  the  throne  of  God,  now  so  far 
above  the  reach  of  earthly  conception,  how  will 
this  world,  with  its  interests  and  pleasures,  appear 
insignificant  and  contemptible !" 

Of  this  awakening,  he  elsewhere  writes  :  "  The 
work  has  been  good,  gradual,  and  powerful.  It 
has  also  been  quite  general  over  the  town,  al- 
though in  some  neighborhoods  it  has  not  been 
very  thorough.  If  we  reckon  all  as  converted  to 
God  who  have  expressed  hope  in  Christ,  we 
should  number  nearly  four  hundred  in  this  town 
as  having  been  of  late  subjects  of  renewing  grace ; 
probably  more  than  three  hundred  will  at  last 


124  MEMOIR  OF 

shine  as  stars  in  the  kingdom  of  their  Father. 
All  the  religious  denominations  have  shared  in 
the  work."  As  the  immediate  result  of  this  rich 
manifestation  of  grace,  ninety  were  added  to  the 
Baptist  church  ;  but  its  influences  continued  long 
afterwards  in  the  increased  enjoyment  and  union 
among  the  people  of  God. 

The  family  of  Mr.  Bennett,  consisting  of  four 
sons  and  one  daughter,  had  hitherto  been  unbro- 
ken by  death.  He  had  often  been  called  to  stand 
at  the  grave  of  the  dead  among  his  flock,  and 
mingle  his  sympathies  with  bereaved  parental 
hearts  ;  but  never  had  personal  experience  bowed 
his  own  soul  with  that  form  of  grief.  This  cup 
was  now  given  him  to  drink.  His  daughter,  Elsi- 
na,  while  on  a  visit  to  Truxton,  was  suddenly  at- 
tacked by  disease,  and  in  a  few  days  hurried  away 
by  death,  in  her  fourteenth  year.  During  the 
recent  revival,  her  mind  had  been  much  exercised, 
but  she  had  as  yet  mada  no  public  profession  of 
hope  in  Christ.  A  letter,  Sept.  25,  1826,  in  which 
he  says,  "  Her  corpse  lies  beside  me  in  the  room 
while  I  am  writing,"  contains  the  following  re- 
marks indicative  of  the  manner  in  which  he  bore 
this  afflictive  stroke :  "  This  I  can  say,  God  is 
just  and  good,  and  hath  done  as  seemed  good  in 
His  sight.  I  thought  I  had  some  freedom  at 


REV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  125 

times  during  her  sickness,  in  prayer,  that  her 
spirit  might  be  saved  in  the  day  of  the  Lord  Je- 
sus ;  and  with  Him  the  Judge  of  all,  I  must  leave 
the  case.  I  desire  greatly  that  I  may  not  come 
out  of  the  deep  waters  of  this  affliction,  without 
gaining  much  lasting  good  to  my  soul.  I  needed 
just  such  a  stroke  from  the  correcting  hand  of  my 
Heavenly  Father ;  but  oh !  how  unwilling  I  waa 
to  meet  it !  My  unbelieving  heart  said,  Lord, 
keep  Thy  chastening  hand  away.  But  shall  we 
not  be  in  subjection  to  the  Father  of  Spirits  and 
live  ?" 

The  church  had  now  become  so  large,  that  their 
house  of  worship  was  wholly  inadequate  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  congregation,  and  in  1827 
a  harmonious  division  of  the  body  was  effected, 
forming  the  three  churches  at  Homer,  Cortland- 
ville,  and  McGrawville ;  in  each  of  which  there 
are  still  many  who  recall  with  fervent  gratitude 
the  holy  ministry  of  their  former  venerated  pas- 
tor. He  continued  in  the  pastoral  office  with  that 
part  which  located  in  the  village  of  Homer.  Here 
an  efficient  church  gathered  round  him,  and  in 
1830,  the  Divine  Presence  filled  their  new  sanctu- 
ary, and  reviving  influences  were  again  felt.  In 
a  communication  to  Dr.  Bolles,  Jan.  30,  after  sta- 
ting his  previous  intention  to  comply  so  far  with 


126  MEMOIR  car 

the  request  of  the  Foreign  Missionary  Board  as 
to  spend  a  number  of  weeks  among  the  churches 
in  behalf  of  missions,  he  remarks :  "  And  now, 
dear  sir,  I  must  say  the  way  is  closed  up  for  the 
present  against  my  leaving  home.  There  are  very 
nattering  appearances  in  the  town,  and  especially 
in  the  church  and  congregation  with  which  I  am 
connected,  of  an  extensive  revival  of  pure  religion. 
The  church  is  awaking  out  of  sleep,  and  meet- 
ings on  devotional  occasions,  a  few  weeks  past, 
have  been  exceedingly  interesting.  Besides,  in 
the  village  and  other  neighborhoods,  the  youth  to 
the  number  of  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  one 
hundred  and  seventy-five  are  engaged  in  Bible- 
class  instruction ;  and  in  three  out  of  the  four 
classes  there  is  great  solemnity,  some  having  deep 
conviction  for  sin.  A  few  have  found  peace  by 
the  blood  of  Christ,  while  many  others  are  still 
inquiring." 

These  signs  of  promise  were  not  fallacious.  The 
interest  continued  to  increase,  and  in  March  of 
the  same  year  he  wrote :  "  The  revival  is  still  in- 
teresting :  my  attention  is  almost  wholly  engrossed 
with  it.  Perhaps  forty  or  fifty  souls  have  of  late 
expressed  hope  in  the  Saviour,  and  many  more 
are  under  deep  impressions  of  mind." 

A  sermon  he  preached  July  4,  1830,  entitled 


REV.   ALFRED   BENNETT. 

The  Kingdom  of  Christ  distinguished  from  the 
J&ngdom  of  Ccesar,  which  was  subsequently  pub- 
lished at  the  request  of  his  congregation,  involved 
him  in  an  extended  newspaper  discussion.  The 
discourse  was  a  distinct  enunciation  and  defence 
of  the  great  scriptural  principle,  "  That  civil  gov- 
ernment is  to  be  respected  and  supported  under 
the  Gospel  dispensation  as  a  distinct  thing  en- 
tirely from  the  interests  and  government  of  the 
Church ;"  that  in  matters  purely  civil  Christians 
ought  to  render  obedience  to  the  civil  magistrate, 
but  in  things  appertaining  to  religion  they  owe 
fealty  alone  to  Christ.  To  some  of  the  positions 
assumed  in  the  illustration  of  this  truth,  much 
exception  was  taken  by  Pedobaptists,  and  the 
public  discussion,  long  and  warm,  elicited  at  that 
time  great  interest.  As  the  correspondence  is  not 
now  before  me,  its  points  cannot  here  be  stated. 
It  gave,  however,  not  only  publicity  but  additional 
reputation  to  Mr.  Bennett  in  the  denomination 
with  which  he  was  connected. 

The  following  "  tribute,  as  the  blessing  of  one 
who  was  ready  to  perish,"  is  from  a  letter  ad- 
dressed to  the  writer  of  this  work  by  Mrs.  R., 
now  residing  in  Michigan,  and  will  be  read  with 
interest,  as  illustrative  of  his  life  as  pastor. 

"In  the  summer  of  1818,  having  been  a  mem- 


128  MEMOIR  OF 

ber  of  the  church,  of  which  Mr.  Bennett  was  pas- 
tor, about  a  year,  my  mind  became  exceedingly 
distressed  and  driven  nearly  to  despair,  respecting 
the  change  of  heart  which  I  had  professed.  At 
length  coming  to  the  conclusion  that  I  ought  to 
withdraw  from  the  church,  I  wrote  to  him,  stating 
my  case,  and  asking  his  advice  and  direction.  He 
replied  briefly,  in  something  like  the  following 
language : 

"  '  VERY  DEAR  SISTER  m  CHRIST — 

" '  I  do  most  deeply  sympathize  with  you  un- 
der the  discouragements  of  which  you  complain. 
After  all  I  have  experienced,  when  I  take  a  view 
of  the  corruption  of  my  own  heart,  I  have  many 
misgivings,  lest  all  may  yet  be  wrong.  But  still, 
I  do  hope  in  the  mercy  of  God  through  the  aton- 
ing blood  of  Christ,  that  I  shall  yet  obtain  the  vic- 
tory over  all  my  inbred  corruption  and  all  the 
machinations  of  the  adversary. 

"  '  I  see  nothing  in  your  case  except  what  Chris- 
tians in  all  ages  have  had  to  contend  with ;  and 
I  trust  these  trials  will  in  the  end  work  for  your 
good.  Resist  temptations.  Walk  close  with  God. 
Cast  all  your  care  upon  Him ;  for  He  careth  for 
you.' 

"  The  next  winter,  while  I  was  attending  school 


REV.   ALFRED   BEIsTfETT.  129 

« 

in  the  village,  and  boarding  at  his  house,  he  un- 
derstood that  I  was  in  need  of  a  few  shillings  in 
order  to  prosecute  my  studies  to  advantage,  and 
unobservedly  afcd  silently  placed  in  rny  hand  the 
requisite  amount. 

"  In  the  spring  of  1831,  hearing  that  I  wished 
to  see  him,  as  I  had  been  long  in  feeble  health,  he 
called,  and  kindly  inquired  respecting  my  situa- 
tion. After  patiently  listening  to  the  story  of  my 
destitution,  he  said  :  '  All  that  I  can  do  for  you 
now,  is  to  ask  God  to  do  every  thing  that  He  sees 
best :  let  us  pray.'  Father  B.  had  visited  and 
prayed  with  me  many  times  before  in  sickness, 
but  that  was  especially  a  prevailing  prayer.  I 
seemed  carried  by  it  away  from  pain,  and  fear, 
and  care.  I  appeared  enveloped  in  the  devotion 
of  his  soul,  and  warmed  by  the  fervor  of  his  pe- 
tition. My  tempest-tossed  spirit  experienced  a 
tranquillity  that  the  world  cannot  give.  It  was 
prophetic ;  and  my  life  in  regard  to  temporal 
things  since  appears  to  have  been  sketched  in  that 
prayer,  but  it  will  never  be  fully  answered  until 
in  a  good  old  age,  as  a  shock  of  corn  fully  ripe,  I 
am  garnered  in  the  rest  which  remains  for  the 
people  of  God. 

"  A  few  days  afterwards,  he  called  one  morning 
as  he  was  passing,  and  gave  me  some  money,  say- 


130  MEMOIR   OF 

0 

ing,  '  Tour  friend  authorizes  me  to  leave  this  with 
you,  to  be  appropriated  to  your  present  want.'  I 
might  add  much  more,  but  I  know  that  thousands 
can  give  a  like  testimony  if  they  %ould  speak." 

Again,  in  1832,  a  visitation  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
was  experienced,  in  connection  with  faithful 
Christian  efforts.  It  was  customary  then  for 
neighboring  pastors  to  aid  each  other  in  special 
meetings  for  religious  exertion ;  and  the  Divine 
blessing  often  richly  attended  these  united  labors. 
Of  one  of  these  seasons,  he  wrote,  March  3,  1832 : 
"  It  has  truly  been  a  precious  season  to  many, 
both  in  the  church  and  out.  Probably  one  hun- 
dred have  been  aroused  to  a  serious  inquiry  about 
their  souls,  and  about  thirty  have  expressed  hope 
in  the  Saviour  already  during  the  meeting.  We 
hope  others  may  soon  find  peace  in  believing  on 
Jesus  Christ.  My  time  and  attention  have  been 
all  occupied,  but  it  has  been  a  blessed  season  to 
me.  It  is  good  to  see  the  Spirit  of  Christ  controll- 
ing the  affections  of  the  saints,  and  elevating  their 
desires  towards  the  throne  of  God,  and  behold  the 
subduing  power  of  redeeming  love  bowing  the 
hearts  of  sinners,  once  impenitent,  to  the  obe- 
dience of  the  faith." 

During  his  ministry  he  baptized  more  than 
seven  hundred  and  seventy  persons,  who  gave  evi- 


EEV.    ALFRED   BENNETT.  131 

dence  to  the  church  of  their  conversion  to  God, 
and  nearly  all  of  whom  made  their  public  profes- 
sion of  religion  while  he  was  pastor.  Many  of 
these  are  still  living,  and  adorn  the  doctrine  of 
God  our  Saviour. 

These  seasons  of  religious  interest  are  here  re- 
corded, not  as  filling  up  the  whole  of  his  expe- 
rience as  a  pastor,  but  as  indicating  the  blessings 
that  attended  his  unremitting  exertions.  They 
were  harvests ;  the  bleak  and  dreary  winter,  and 
the  laborious  seed-time  which  preceded  them, 
were  not  less  filled  with  patient  watchfulness  and 
earnest  effort ;  but  the  fruits  were  mainly  garnered 
in  the  ingathering  of  revival.  The  pastor's  heart 
was  often  depressed  beneath  the  cares  and  toils  of 
his  responsible  station.  Many  a  sermon  seemed 
to  fall  powerless  upon  the  careless  ear ;  many  a 
social  prayer-meeting  was  to  him  a  scene  only 
of  sorrow,  on  account  of  the  wintry  atmosphere 
which  peiyaded  it ;  many  a  difficulty  needed  kind 
and  careful  interposition  for  its  adjustment ;  many  a 
valued  Christian,  on  whom  he  leaned,  was  stricken 
down  by  his  side,  and  borne  to  the  grave ;  and, 
what  brought  still  more  poignant  anguish,  temp- 
tation also  had  its  victims,  and  some,  who  once 
bid  fair  for  heaven,  fell  beneath  its  malign  power. 
But  the  faithful  sower,  heeding  the  divine  prom- 


132  MEMOIR  OF 

ise,  in  due  time  ye  shall  reap,  if  ye  faint  not, 
amidst  sunshine  and  storm,  ceased  not  to  scatter 
broadcast  the  seeds  of  life  ;  and  though  he  often 
went  forth  weeping,  it  was  permitted  him  to  re- 
turn again  rejoicing,  bringing  his  sheaves  with 
him. 


REV.    ALFRED   BENNETT.  133 


CHAPTER  IX, 

THE     MISSIONARY    AGENCY. 

THE  spirit  of  missions  is  everywhere  the  same, 
whether  developed  in  the  home  or  the  foreign  field. 
The  sickly  sentimentalism  which  has  tears  to  shed 
over  the  lost  millions  of  paganism,  but  puts  forth 
no  effort  for  the  evangelization  of  the  uninstructed 
and  guilty  multitudes  around  us,  possesses  DO 
higher  virtue  than  the  contracted  sympathy  which 
extends  not  beyond  its  own  church-walls.  Nei- 
ther has  its  origin  at  the  Cross.  That  benevolence 
whose  outgushing  is  only  at  the  tale  of  distant  mis- 
ery, while  the  widow  and  the  fatherless  at  our  door 
are  unvisited,  and  the  lost  in  our  midst  are  un- 
sought and  unreclaimed,  does  not  flow  from  the 
"  pure  river  of  the  water  of  life,  clear  as  crystal, 
proceeding  out  of  the  throne  of  God  and  the  Lamb." 
Jesus  wept  over  Jerusalem.  His  healing  power, 
with  words  of  heavenly  wisdom  and  invitation, 
was  exerted  throughout  Judea,  while  yet  before 
Him  stretched  the  millions  of  heathendom,  and 
12 


134  MEMOIR  OF 

His  compassionate  heart  yearned  over  the  lost  con- 
dition of  a  world.  The  active  Christian  at  home 
is  ordinarily  the  true-hearted  friend  of  Christian 
exertion  abroad. 

The  men  who  toiled  in  our  ministry  during  the 
past  generation  possessed  much  of  the  missionary 
spirit.  But  the  moral  desolation  around  them, 
claimed  their  efforts.  We  find  them,  while  their 
own  churches  were  still  in  infancy,  organizing  mis- 
sionary associations  to  spread  the  Gospel.  Labo- 
rious and  extended  tours  were  undertaken  through 
the  wilderness,  when  the  avenues  of  travel  were 
yet  unopened,  dispensing  the  words  of  life  to  the 
destitute;  and  in  the  humble  log-cabin  many  a 
soul  was  made  to  rejoice  in  pardon  and,  hope, 
through  these  self-denying  exertions.  "When  Prov- 
idence called  the  Baptist  denomination  to  engage 
in  the  work  of  foreign  missions,  these  men  were 
among  the  first  to  respond  to  the  summons,  and 
enter  actively  into  the  field.  The  Madison  Asso- 
ciation, at  its  annual  session,  1814,  on  receiving  a 
communication  from  Luther  Rice  in  behalf  of  the 
"  General  Convention  of  the  Baptist  denomination 
in  the  United  States,"  after  the  report  of  a  com- 
mittee, of  which  Mr.  Bennett  was  a  member,  re- 
sponded with  high  and  grateful  enthusiasm,  and 
solemnly  "  agreed  to  unite  with  their  brethren, 


BEV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  135 

in  exerting  all  their  energies  to  promote  the  glo- 
rious cause  of  the  "Redeemer,  not  only  by  their 
prayers,  but  by  contributing  of  their  worldly  prop- 
erty." 

The  ardent  zeal  for  missions,  •with  which  the 
Homer  pastor  sought  to  inspire  the  young  in  his 
congregation,  produced  its  effect,  not  only  in  con- 
tributions, but  in  personal' consecration  to  the  work. 
In  1829,  his  eldest  son,  Cephas,  who  had  then  re- 
moved to  Utica,  left  a  lucrative  business  at  the 
summons  of  the  Master,  and  entered  the  service  of 
the  board  at  Burmah,  as  printer,  and  subsequently 
as  preacher,  among  the  heathen,  where  he  still 
labors  with  eminent  fidelity  and  success.  The 
views  of  the  father  on  this  occasion  are  briefly  ex- 
pressed in  a  letter  to  Rev.  Alvin  Bennett,  Septem- 
ber 24,  1828 : 

"  I  have  at  present  one  source  of  trial  to  my 
natural  feelings,  of  which  you  as  yet  know  nothing 
by  experience.  An  acquaintance  is  forming  be- 
tween the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  and  Cephas, 
with  a  view  to  his  location  in  Burmah  as  a  printer, 
to  spend  his  life  in  that  distant  land.  Should  such 
an  event  occur,  you  will  see  it  must  be  a  trial  to 
parental  hearts.  Cephas  and  his  wife  are  willing 
to  go ;  yea,  rather  wish  it.  Indeed,  his  mind  has 
been  leading  that  way,  I  have  known,  for  some 


136  MEMOIR  OF 

years,  but  no  door  seemed  to  open  until  now. 
Whether  he  will  yet  go  or  not  remains  to  be  deter- 
mined. Should  he  go  at  all,  he  will  probably 
leave  America  some  time  next  summer.  Now, 
all  this,  I  know,  is  in  perfect  accordance  with  the 
prayer  of  faith — Thy  kingdom  come — and  with  the 
conversion  of  the  heathen  to  Christ,  for  they  are 
to  be  given  to  Him  for  His  inheritance.  I  wish 
to  be  still,  and  let  the  Lord  send  by  whom  He 
pleases,  and  in  the  fulness  of  my  heart  say,  Thy 
will  ~be  done" 

The  missionary  zeal  and  eminent  qualifications 
of  the  revered  subject  of  these  pages  had  long 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  Executive  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions,  and  in  1828,  at  their  urgent 
solicitation,  he  accepted  a  temporary  agency  to  visit 
churches  and  associations  as  far  as  would  consist 
with  the  discharge  of  his  pastoral  duties.  These 
solicitations  were  often  repeated,  and  for  several 
years  the  church,  among  whom  his  own  ardent 
love  of  missions  was  diffused,  permitted  him  to 
devote  a  portion  of  his  time  to  the  interests  of  that 
cause.  The  reports  of  these  labors  submitted  to 
the  Board  show  that  he  was  unwearied  in  his  ex- 
ertions, travelling  much  through  the  central  and 
western  parts  of  the  State ;  yet  at  their  close  is 
usually  appended  the  statement :  "  All  I  have  done 


REV.  ALFRED  BENNETT. 

this  year  has  been  without  cost  to  the  Board." 
Such  was  the  generous  devotion  with  which  he 
gave  himself  to  this  work,  that  in  1831  the  Board 
placed  upon  their  record  a  resolution  expressive 
of  their  gratitude  for  his  disinterested  and  holy 
zeal. 

The  providence  of  God  now  evidently  called  him 
to  devote  his  undivided  energies  to  the  home  work 
of  missions.  His  sound  judgment,  the  veneration 
widely  felt  for  his  godly  character,  and  the  holy 
enthusiasm  he  awakened  everywhere  in  the  mis- 
sionary enterprise,  all  eminently  adapted  him  to 
arouse  the  slumbering  zeal  of  the  churches  in  the 
effort  to  give  the  Gospel  to  the  heathen  world. 
But  the  loved  church  over  which  he  had  so  long 
presided  lay  near  his  he*art.  The  thought  of  dis- 
solving the  pastoral  relation  was  one  of  painful 
interest.  Most  of  its  members  had  first  gained 
their  hopes  of  heaven  under  the  word  of  life  minis- 
tered by  him;  they  now  clung  around  him  as 
their  father  in  the  Gospel.  It  was  an  occasion 
of  deep  emotion  when  the  revered  pastor  laid 
before  them  the  communication  of  the  Board,  pro- 
posing a  permanent  separation  from  his  people, 
and  the  devotion  of  his  remaining  days  to  the  in- 
terests of  foreign  missions.  The  church  appointed 
a  special  meeting  for  prayer  and  consideration, 
12* 


138  MEMOIR  OF 

the  result  of  which  was  announced  by  Mr.  Ben- 
nett in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Bolles,  corresponding  secre- 
tary of  the  Board,  June  13,  1832 : 

"  They  were  unanimous  in  their  desire  for  me 
to  continue  with  them,  but  in  view  of  the  import- 
ance of  the  missionary  enterprise,  the  call  of  the 
Board,  and  my  convictions  of  duty  on  the  subject, 
they  acquiesced,  concluding  it  was  of  God,  that 
it  was  my  duty  to  go,  and  they  ought  to  submit. 
Scarcely  a  brother  spoke  his  mind  on  the  occasion 
without  giving  vent  to  his  emotion  in  tears ;  but, 
I  think,  grace  triumphed,  and  love  to  the  cause  of 
God,  with  desire  for  the  wide  extension  of  the  Re- 
deemer's kingdom  in  the  earth,  made  us  all  willing 
at  length  cheerfully  to  pursue  that  course  which 
seemed  to  be  marked  oul^for  us  in  Divine  Provi- 
dence, looking  to  God  for  direction  and  sup- 
port. 

"  This  subject  has  oppressed  me  exceedingly. 
For  a  long  time  the  foreign  mission  has  seemed 
to  have  claims  paramount  to  other  objects,  and 
the  churches  have  not  been  thoroughly  awake  to 
its  importance.  But  for  two  years  it  has  engross- 
ed my  feelings  more  intensely,  and  almost  unfitted 
me  for  other  duties.  The  decision,  however,  is 
made,  and  now  my  chief  solicitude  is  whether  I 
shall  please  God,  and  meet  the  wishes  of  the. 


REV.   ALFRED  BENNETT.  139 

Board.  I  tremble  in  view  of  the  responsibilities 
of  the  station." 

His  life  as  a  pastor,  uninterrupted  for  twenty- 
five  years,  had  been  one  of  great  faithfulness. 
The  Spirit  of  God  wrought  effectually  by  him,  and 
in  every  direction,  for  miles  around,  was  ground 
hallowed  by  his  prayer  and  toil,  and  associated 
with  recollections  of  the  triumphs  of  grace.  And 
euch  was  the  affection  and  respect  with  which  he 
ever  inspired  his  congregation,  that  when  at  length 
he  deemed  it  his  duty  to  propose  a  separation,  it 
is  believed  there  was  not  a  single  member,  either 
of  the  church  or  the  congregation,  who  did  not  ar- 
dently love  his  ministry,  and  deplore  his  absence 
as  a  personal  loss. 

"The  General  Convention  of  the  Baptist  de- 
nomination in  the  United  States"  was  then  the 
only  organization  in  America  by  which  the  work 
of  foreign  missions  was  carried  on  in  this  denom- 
ination. Its  operations,  even  at  this  period,  how- 
ever, were  not  extended.  God  had,  indeed,  richly 
blessed  the  labors  of  Mr.  Judson  and  his  coadju- 
tors in  the  Burman  mission,  and  every  year  bore 
to  our  shores  intelligence  of  new  triumphs  of  the 
Gospel.  The  sainted  Boardman  had  just  breathed 
his  last  in  the  Karen  jungle,  after  witnessing  the 
first  large  ingathering  of  that  "people  prepared 


14:0  MEMOIR  OF 

of  the  Lord,"  among  whom  such  wonders  of  mercy 
have  since  been  wrought.  Nine  additional  mis- 
sionaries had  just  sailed,  to  join  the  devoted  band 
toiling  amidst  the  pagodas  of  India.  Every  aspect 
of  the  missions  abroad  gave  occasion  for  thanks- 
giving and  hope.  But  at  home  the  work  moved 
slowly.  The  total  of  contributions  from  all  parts 
of  the  Union  in  1832,  was  only  sixteen  thousand 
five  hundred  and  fifty-six  dollars.  Many  of  the 
churches  which  are  now  wealthy  and  efficient,  were 
then  struggling  for  existence  ;  many  of  this  char- 
acter, also,  in  the  rapid  growth  of  cities  and  states 
have  since  been  formed.  Benevolent  effort  was 
then,  for  the  most  part,  unregulated  by  system, 
and  under  the  dictates  of  impulse  only  was  liable 
to  great  fluctuations.  "The  Macedonian,"  diffu- 
sing missionary  intelligence  at  a  cost  within  the 
means  of  all,  did  not  then  enter  the  family  circle, 
and  act  as  a  monthly  monitor  to  a  perishing  world ; 
nor  was  the  religious  newspaper  so  generally  re- 
garded as  essential  to  a  Christian  home.  Opposi- 
tion to  missionary  effort  was  not  uncommon,  even 
in  the  Middle  and  Eastern  States,  and  in  the  West 
and  Southwest  large  districts  were  infected  with 
the  anti-mission  spirit. 

In  all  this  the  last  twenty  years  have  witnessed 
a  vast  change.     Cheap   periodicals,  with   cheap 


EEV.    ALFRED   BENNETT.  141 

postage,  and  readier  means  of  inter-communica- 
tion, have  diffused  information,  and  prejudices 
have  gradually  given  place  to  enlightened  views 
»f  Christian  duty.  The  press  has  been  teeming 
with  publications  illustrating  and  enforcing  the 
great  commission.  The  Sabbath-school  has  been 
a  nursery  of  missionary  influence,  and  the  thou- 
sands continually  issuing  from  its  hallowed  walls 
upon  the  arena  of  Christian  action,  have  entered 
the  Church  educated  for  missionary  effort.  Chris- 
tians generally  have  made  much  advance  towards 
an  intelligent  appreciation  of  responsibility  re- 
specting the  evangelization  of  the  world ;  and 
though  still  far,  very  far,  from  the  elevation  to 
which  they  must  rise  before  the  Gospel  shall  be 
universally  published,  the  signs  of  upward  prog- 
ress are  clear  and  hopeful.  The  contributions  to 
the  treasury  of  the  American  Baptist  Missionary 
Union,  reported  1851,  fell  but  little  short  of  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars,  nearly  six  times  the 
amount  received  in  the  whole  country  twenty 
years  ago. 

Among  the  human  agencies  employed  in  effect- 
ing this  auspicious  change,  no  individual  filled  a 
more  useful  place  than  the  venerated  man  whose 
life  is  here  delineated.  From  his  resignation  of 
the  pastoral  office  to  the  hour  when  his  spirit  en- 


142  MEMOIR   OP 

tered  into  the  presence  of  the  Master,  the  diffusion 
of  the  pure  spirit  of  missions  was  the  ruling  pas- 
sion of  his  life.  Though  associated  with  various 
other  religious  enterprises,  to  which  he  gave  an 
intelligent  and  earnest  support,  all  the  energies  of 
his  vigorous  mind  were  devoted  directly  or  indi- 
rectly to  this  one  great  end.  It  was  in  him  a 
principle,  rising  higher  than  the  love  of  kindred, 
causing  him,  with  life  already  advanced,  to  for- 
sake the  comforts  of  home,  and  prosecute  steadily 
for  many  years  a  laborious  and  often  thankless 
mission,  exposed  to  every  variety  of  climate,  and 
every  form  of  physical  ill.  He  writes,  in  a  letter 
addressed  to  his  family,  near  the  close  of  a  long 
and  toilsome  tour  in  the  West,  May  6,  1840  : 

"  Perhaps  this  will  be  the  last  copy  of  my  feel- 
ings you  will  receive  before  you  have  the  original 
in  person  ;  for  I  begin  to  count  upon  the  days, 
much  more  than  the  miles,  which  separate  us. 
Sometime  in  June  I  devoutly  hope  to  greet  my 
dear  family  again,  and  none  the  less  dear  because 
I  am  long  absent.  If  I  am  not  a  Christian,  the 
deception  is  great.  I  believe  I  love  my  family  aa 
well  as  ever,  and  desire  their  happiness  as  much  ; 
but  I  can  be  sundered  from  them  cheerfully  to 
promote  the  cause  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  the 
world.  If  this  is  not  from  love  to  the  truth,  I  am 


EEV.    ALFRED   BENNETT.  143 

deceived,  awfully  deceived.  It  is  not  affection 
growing  cold  towards  my  dear  family,  but  desires 
increasing  to  extend  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord, 
laboring  daily,  and  so  much  the  more  as  we  see 
the  day  approaching" 

It  was  with  such  views  the  servant  of  God  en- 
tered upon  the  new  sphere  to  which  Providence 
called  him.  Love  to  Christ,  love  to  souls,  and 
an  ardent  desire  for  the  elevation  of  Christian 
character  in  the  churches,  seemed  to  be  the  per- 
vading principles  of  his  life,  while  during  many 
years  fulfilling  his  high  commission.  No  pecu- 
niary inducement  was  offered.  He  was  appointed 
"  at  a  salary  of  four  hundred  dollars,  including 
his  travelling  expenses."  No  permanent  agent 
before  him  had  been  in  the  employ  of  the  Board, 
and  the  office  was  then  new  in  the  denomination. 
He  always  regarded  himself  as  a  pioneer;  and 
with  him  the  determination  with  which  he  en- 
tered the  work  became  a  fixed  principle  through 
life,  to  regard  "  the  raising  of  money  a  secondary 
matter,  and  make  it  his  first  concern  to  spread 
information,  and  lay  the  foundation  of  a  steady 
support  of  the  enterprise  in  future  years,"  by  awa- 
kening an  intelligent  elevated  missionary  spirit  in 
the  churches,  and  giving  permanency  and  system 
to  benevolent  action. 


144  MEMOIR  OF 


CHAPTER  X, 

TOUKS  SOUTH  AND  WEST. 

His  agency,  during  the  first  eight  years,  was 
chiefly  in  the  South  and  West,  where  he  was  a 
pioneer  in  the  advocacy  of  missions.  He  trav- 
elled for  the  most  part  on  horseback,  exposed  tp 
all  the  changes  of  the  seasons,  and  amidst  hard- 
ships under  which  a  frame  less  robust  or  a  spirit 
less  resolute  would  have  sunk.  This  period  was 
filled  with  incidents  of  deep  and  often  thrilling  in- 
terest, illustrative  of  the  providence  of  God  and 
of  human  character  in  its  various  phases ;  but 
they  were  left  unrecorded,  except  on  his  memory, 
and  are  now  unknown,  only  as  occasionally  rela- 
ted by  him,  in  his  own  graphic  manner,  to  the 
friends  with  whom  he  was  intimately  conversant. 
An  outline  of  his  tours,  therefore,  gathered  most- 
ly from  letters,  is  all  which  can  here  be  pre- 
sented. 

Virginia  was  his  first  field,  on  which  he  entered 
at  the  close  of  November,  1832.  Setting  out  from 


EEV.    ALFRED   BENHET11.  145 

Richmond,  he  travelled  more  than  nine  hundred 
miles  on  horseback,  visiting  numerous  churches, 
and  everywhere  awakening  a  deep  interest  in  the 
cause  of  missions.  Though  successful  beyond  ex- 
pectation, he  says,  "  My  chief  consolation,  after 
all,  has  arisen  from  the  enjoyment  of  God  in  my 
own  soul.  I  have  rarely  felt  such  a  comfortable 
flow  of  feeling  in  preaching  the  Gospel  of  Christ, 
for  so  long  a  time  together,  as  I  have  enjoyed  for 
some  weeks  past.  Whether  the  hearers  were  few 
or  many,  it  was  no  embarrassment.  I  felt  a 
pleasure  in  spreading  out  before  them  the  wretch- 
ed condition  of  the  world,  the  unspeakable  glory, 
fulness,  and  adaptation  of  the  Gospel,  under  the 
influence  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  to  change  the  heart 
and  elevate  the  affections  to  God,  in  whom  there 
is  fulness  of  joy,  and  at  whose  right  hand  there 
are  pleasures  for  evermore ; — and  then  affection- 
ately inviting  them  to  co-operate  in  the  work  of 
sending  this  blessed  Gospel  to  every  creature." 

When  he  was  about  to  leave  the  State,  the 
brethren  sent  earnest  letters  to  the  Executive 
Board,  importuning  them  to  permit  his  continu- 
ance there ;  and  if  this  could  not  be  granted,  that 
he  might  return  a  few  months,  or  even  weeks,  the 
succeeding  winter.  At  the  close  of  this  tour,  we 
find  the  following  memorandum : 
13 


146  MEMOIB  OT 

"March  18. — Arrived  at  Homer  after  an  ab- 
sence of  four  months,  in  which  I  have  enjoyed 
good  health,  travelled  in  all  over  twenty-five  hun- 
dred miles,  and  collected  for  the  Foreign  Mission 
one  thousand  two  hundred  and  seventy-one  dol- 
lars, besides  various  articles  of  jewelry." 

The  amount  collected  was  not,  indeed,  large ; 
but  at  that  time  it  was  deemed  an  indication  of 
unusual  success,  especially  in  a  field  comparative- 
ly new,  where  no  organized  system  of  benevolence 
had  then  been  formed. 

After  spending  the  summer  in  New  Jersey  and 
New  England,  he  was  occupied  the  following  win- 
ter at  the  "West,  in  the  States  of  Indiana,  Ken- 
tucky, and  Ohio,  laboring  with  earnest  zeal,  but 
not  with  the  same  immediate  success  as  in  Vir- 
ginia. Much  opposition  encountered  him  from 
the  anti-mission  spirit,  which  was  at  that  time  rife 
in  those  sections  of  the  country.  In  reference  to 
this  he  remarked  :  "  I  intend  to  be  kind,  affec- 
tionate, and  faithful,  explaining  the  subject  ac- 
cording to  the  Scriptures,  and  keeping  a  con- 
science void  of  offence  towards  God  and  the  peo- 
ple :  then  I  will  abide  the  consequences."  In 
Kentucky,  while  travelling,  he  was  suddenly  at- 
tacked with  severe  illness,  occasioned  by  expo- 
sure, and  for  a  time  seemed  in  imminent  peril  of 


KEY.   ALFKED   BENNETT.  147 

his  life ;  but  it  pleased  the  Lord  to  raise  him  up 
again.  The  kindness  experienced  in  a  land  of 
strangers  much  affected  him.  "  During  my  sick- 
ness at  Elizabethtown,"  he  writes,  "  I  felt  peculiar 
peace  of  mind  and  confidence  in  God.  I  knew 
He  would  do  right.  I  felt  quiet  in  His  hand.  I 
think,  in  reviewing  the  dispensation,  I  am  much 
quickened  in  prayer,  and  desirous  that  I  may  not 
live  in  vain.  God  has  heard  prayer,  and  given 
me  favor  in  the  sight  of  the  people  of  the  land. 
The  physicians  were  very  attentive,  and  would 
charge  nothing ;  they  said  it  was  their  highest 
pleasure  to  render  me  aid.  Neither  of  them  pro- 
fesses religion.  I  could  not  have  been  in  a  kinder 
family  than  that  of  brother  H.  Himself  and  wife 
and  children,  servants,  and  every  thing,  were  de- 
voted to  my  service,  and  every  effort  made  to  ren- 
der me  comfortable  by  night  and  by  day.  All 
this,  too,  was  gratuitous  ;  they  seemed  to  exult  in 
the  idea  of  being  counted  worthy  to  wait  upon, 
one  of  the  servants  of  their  Lord.  All  things 
work  together  for  good  to  those  who  are  the  call- 
ed according  to  God's  purpose,  and  sincerely  love 
Him.  And  may  I  hope  that  He  will  put  m-e 
among  His  children  ?  I  have  always  been  fearful 
about  my  adoption  ;  yet,  as  I  find  such  abundant 
proofs  of  His  kindness  towards  me,  I  am  encour- 


148  MEMOIR  OF 

aged  to  hope  that,  when  the  storms  of  life  are 
over,  I  may  be  allowed  rest  in  heaven,  where  Je- 
"BUS  is,  and  where  the  saints  shall  be  ever  with 
Him." 

After  this  visitation  of  sickness,  he  continued 
his  labors  in  Kentucky,  returning  to  Homer  in 
the  spring,  by  way  of  Ohio.  Of  this  tour,  he 
writes  to  Rev.  Alvin  Bennett,  June  29,  1834  : 
-  "  My  journey  was  prosperous,  and  I  hope  prof- 
itable, both  to  the  people  among  whom  I  trav- 
elled and  to  the  cause  generally,  especially  in 
stirring  up  a  spirit  of  benevolence  in  the  churches 
of  the  Far  "West,  so  that  they  will  be  more  en- 
gaged hereafter  in  thinking,  feeling,  praying,  and 
acting  for  the  benefit  of  the  world.  How  hard  it 
is  for  us  to  realize  that  the  field  is  the  world,  to 
act  with  reference  to  the  good  of  all  mankind, 
and  to  live  with  a  regard  to  the  whole  extent  of  our 
"being !  I  was  absent  about  eight  months,  trav- 
elled about  three  thousand  miles,  chiefly  with  my 
own  team,  preached  two  hundred  times,  besides 
a  considerable  amount  of  other  labor,  and  col- 
lected one  thousand  dollars  for  the  Foreign  Mis- 
sions. The  getting  of  money,  however,  was  re- 
garded as  a  matter  of  very  little  account  in  com- 
parison with  other  objects,  such  as  the  removal  of 
prejudices  and  the  diffusion  of  information,  to 


KEV.    ALFKED   BENNETT.  149 

correct  and  settle  public  opinion  in  favor  of  the 
noble  enterprise  of  giving  the  Gospel  to  every 
creature.  Prejudice  among  many  is  deep  rooted, 
requiring  much  labor  to  subdue  it." 

"When  a  few  weeks  of  repose  had  been  enjoyed 
with  his  friends,  he  again  set  out  for  the  West. 
Mrs.  Bennett  accompanied  him  as  far  as  Roches- 
ter, whence,  he  remarks  in  a  memorandum,  "  I 
was  destined  to  go  on  alone  towards  the  '  Far 
West,'  with  all  the  feelings  that  solitude,  a  sickly 
season,  and  occasional  remains  of  cholera  could 
produce  within.  But  God  is  my  strength,  whom 
should  I  fear  f  God  is  the  support  of  my  life,  of 
what  shall  I  be  afraid  ?  Believing  Christ  will 
sustain  me,  as  long  as  he  has  aught  for  me  to  do 
in  advancing  His  kingdom,  I  cheerfully  venture 
forward,  relying  on  Him."  Though  the  cholera 
was  making  fearful  ravages  in  many  places  around 
him,  this  terrible  scourge  did  not  deter  him  from 
his  work.  He  felt  that  the  heathen  still  needed 
the  Gospel,  and  demanded  unremitting  eifort  to 
send  the  messengers  of  salvation  to  them.  Wri- 
ting to  Dr.  Bolles,  from  Cleveland,  he  says :  "  My 
health  is  yet  good.  I  feel  it  my  duty  to  confide 
all  to  the  care  of  the  Chief  Shepherd  of  Israel, 
and  do  what  I  can  to  benefit  a  sinning,  dying 
world  by  the  ministration  of  the  glorious  Go&pel 
13* 


150  MEMOIR   OF 

of  the  llessed  God.  The  prospect  for  raj  work  in 
this  country  is  good,  excepting  the  embarrassment 
occasioned  by  the  cholera.  This  is  the  engrossing 
subject  of  conversation.  At  this  moment  a  man 
has  come  in  from  Detroit,  and  reports  that  deaths 
occur  there  from  twenty  to  thirty  per  day.  They 
average  here  perhaps  five  or  six.  May  the  love 
of  God  be  shed  abroad  more  abundantly  in  my 
heart,  and  increase  the  exercise  of  all  the  graces 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  that,  whether  I  live  or  die,  I 
may  be  the  Lord's." 

An  affecting  appeal  respecting  the  welfare  of 
the  soul,  addressed  to  two  of  his  sons,  dated  Mont- 
gomery Co.,  Tenn.,  Jan.  1,  1835,  belongs  to  this 
period.  After  speaking  of  the  nature  and  enormi- 
ty of  sin,  he  adds  : 

"  Will  you  longer  neglect  the  great  salvation  ? 
"Will  you  resist  the  Holy  Spirit's  influences,  and 
despise  Christ,  the  adorable  Saviour,  who  died  to 
pardon  and  lives  to  bless  ?  Remember,  my  sons, 
it  is  not  alone  the  sins  of  past  life  that  now  makes 
you  unhappy,  though  seventeen  years  have  been 
spent  by  you  in  sin,  which  is  an  awful  fact.  Sev- 
enteen years  spent  in  open  rebellion  against  God, 
exposed  continually  to  his  eternal  vengeance ! 
Yet  even  all  the  guilt  contracted  during  that 
time,  though  you  have  sinned  under  most  aggra- 


REV.    ALFRED   BENNETT.  151 

vating  circumstances,  would  be  pardoned  in  a 
moment,  if  your  hearts  were  right  now.  It  is 
present  impenitence  and  unbelief  that  keeps  tho 
soul  from  God.  My  dear  children,  I  beseech  you, 
think  on  these  things,  and  receive  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  Receive  Him  cordially,  that  you  may 
live,  and  live  forever  in  heaven. 

"  You  will  excuse  a  father  who  loves  you,  and 
loves  you  none  the  less  for  being  more  than  a 
thousand  miles  from  you  at  this  moment,  for  wri- 
ting thus  earnestly  to  you.  Indeed,  you  could 
hardly  forgive  me,  if  I  did  not  deal  faithfully  with 
your  souls,  while  I  am  depriving  myself  of  all 
domestic  happiness  for  the  benefit  of  the  souls  of 
others. 

"  I  was  only  a  little  more  than  seventeen  years 
old  when,  I  trust,  my  wicked  heart  was  broken 
before  God  for  sin ;  the  Saviour  appeared  to  my 
soul  the  one  altogether  lovely,  and  I  felt  it  my 
highest  honor  to  serve  Him.  And  I  may  say  to 
you  to-day,  that  all  the  trouble  I  have  had  since 
has  grown  out  of  my  unlikeness  to  Him.  When 
I  enjoy  His  love,  I  am  happy.  The  trials  of  life  I 
can  then  bear  with  patience,  and'  feel  a  pleasure 
in  the  toilsome  labors  of  the  Gospel,  even  in  a 
land  of  strangers,  when  I  can  say,  I  know  that  my 
Redeemer  liveth." 


152  MEMOIR  or 

He  continued  his  labors  in  the  "West,  through 
Ohio,  Indiana,  Kentucky,  and  Tennessee,  until 
April,  when  he  attended  the  General  Convention 
in  its  triennial  session,  held  at  Richmond,  Ya. 
In  the  report  rendered  to  this  body  respecting  his 
service  for  two  years  and  five  months,  we  find  the 
following  paragraphs : 

"  During  this  time  efforts  have  been  put  forth 
in  many  large  and  important  assemblies,  such  as 
the  '  Convention  of  Western  Baptists,'  State  Con- 
ventions, and  anniversaries  of  societies  for  spread- 
ing the  Gospel  at  home  and  abroad.  More  than 
six  hundred  sermons  have  been  delivered,  while 
in  performing  this  labor  he  has  travelled  over  ten 
thousand  miles,  and  a  large  portion  of  this  on 
horseback. 

"  In  conclusion,  the  sufferings,  exposures,  and 
labors,  with  the  sacrifices  made  of  personal  ease, 
domestic  comfort,  and  social  enjoyment,  have 
been  more  than  made  up  in  the  soul  by  the  enjoy- 
ment of  the  Divine  favor,  the  sweet,  peace-perva- 
ding spirit  of  the  Gospel,  the  friendship  of  the 
pious  and  prayerful  with  whom  acquaintance  has 
been  formed,  the  conviction  of  personal  useful- 
ness in  the  Gospel,  and  the  hope  of  instrumentally 
spreading  it  abundantly  in  all  the  earth ;  and 
above  all,  from  the  persuasion,  in  view  of  the 


EEV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  153 

prophecies  and  commandments  of  God  our  Saviour, 
that  His  will  was  done" 

At  the  close  of  the  session  of  the  Convention, 
he  permitted  himself  a  brief  period  of  rest,  when 
he  made  another  tour  through  Illinois,  Tennessee, 
and  other  States,  where  he  met  with  much  suc- 
cess. The  collection  of  money,  however,  was  not 
the  primary  object  in  Mr.  Bennett's  "Western 
agency.  A  false  Calvinism  was  extensively  prev- 
alent in  the  churches,  producing  much  opposition 
to  Christian  exertion  for  the  salvation  of  sinners, 
whether  at  home  or  abroad.  It  paralyzed  the 
active  power  of  religion.  A  proper  understand- 
ing of  his  usefulness  there  will  require,  at  this 
point,  a  more  full  view  of  that  spirit  than,  has 
been  before  given.  He  thus  writes  to  the  secre- 
tary, Dr.  Bolles,  from.  Alabama,  February  22, 
1836: 

"  That  you  may  have  some  idea  of  the  moral  at- 
mosphere which  I  am  compelled  to  breathe,  I  will 
begin  by  quoting  verbatim  from  the  minutes  of  the 
Bichland  Creek  Association,  the  following  pream- 
ble and  resolution : 

"  '  Whereas  this  Association  views  with  pain 
and  Christian  abhorrence  the  rise,  the  progress, 
and  deleterious  effects  of  various  societies,  or 
combinations  of  men,  claiming  the  specious  and 


154  MEMOIR   OF 

flattering  names  of  benevolence  and  humanity, 
such  as  the  Missionary  and  Abolition  Societies, 
and  many  others  actuated  by  the  same  spirit,  the 
work  of  which  combinations  we  believe  to  be  sub- 
versive of  all  good  order,  peace,  and  quiet  of 
both  civil  and  political,  as  well  as  religious  so 
ciety : 

"  '  Be  it,  therefore,  resolved  by  this  Association 
unanimously,  that  we  hereby  declare  to  all  men 
our  sincere,  undeviating,  and  decided  opposition 
to  all  and  every  such  society,  whose  ways  and 
works  are  wasting  and  destroying  the  happiness 
of  society  in  every  part  of  our  otherwise  happy 
country  ;  and  we  sincerely  desire  our  brethren  at 
large,  and  particularly  advise  the  churches  we 
represent,  to  hold  all  such  societies  in  utter  detest- 
ation and  at  a  distance ;  and  further,  we  advise 
that  the  churches  uncompromisingly  use  the  dis- 
cipline of  the  Gospel  on  all  and  every  of  their 
members  who  may  be  known  in  any  way  to  coun- 
tenance such  unscriptural  and  disorganizing  socie- 
ties or  combinations.'  The  above  passed  the  As- 
sociation September,  1835." 

This  was  not  a  solitary  instance.  Many  were 
the  religious  bodies  in  which  similar  sentiments 
were  avowed.  Antinomianism,  which  has  since 
much  declined,  from  lack  of  essential  vitality,  was 


REV.    ALFRED    BENNETT.  155 

then  at  the  zenith  of  its  power  in  the  Southwest. 
Immense  numbers  of  professing  Christians  were 
involved  in  this  error,  among  whom  were  somo 
men  possessing  great  excellencies  of  character, 
and  swaying  an  extensive  influence.  From  a 
memorandum  made  at  this  time,  a  still  more 
definite  statement  of  these  pernicious  views  is 
taken: 

"  I  spent  twenty-four  hours  with  Rev.  A.  H.,  a 
chief  man  in  the  Association,  and  found  him  im- 
pressed with  the  conviction  that  the  commission, 
to  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature  was  ful- 
filled by  the  Apostles,  and  is  now  binding  only  as 
it  requires  pastors  to  feed  the  flock ;  that  the  Gos- 
pel is  not  a  means  of  salvation  to  the  impenitent, 
for  the  heathen  may  be  saved  without  it  (for  which 
he  quotes  Romans  ii.  14,  These,  having  not  the 
law,  are  a  law  unto  themselves,  etc.) ;  that  no  proof 
is  found  in  the  Bible  that  religion  has  any  thing 
to  do  with  money,  and  those  who  receive  it  come 
more  or  less  under  the  idea  of  hirelings.  These 
views  are  connected  in  his  mind  with  the  opinion 
that  all  the  efforts  of  the  Church  are  unauthorized 
in  Scripture,  and  have  been  introduced  within 
fifty  years,  since  which  the  Church  has  gone  back 
and  become  degenerate,  and  saints  are  not  as 
numerous  now  as  in  the  days  of  persecution  and. 


156  MEMOIR   OF 

darkness  in  the  valleys  of  Piedmont :  for  the  devil 
has  turned  Christian.  "With  these  views  he  asso- 
ciates an  humble,  conscientious  spirit,  and  seems 
much  distressed  that  good  men  should  be  so  blinded 
as  he  deems  them  to  be." 

"  Effort"  and  "  Anti-effort"  were  the  distinctive 
badges  of  religious  parties  in  the  South  and  West, 
producing  frequent  divisions  of  churches  and 
associations,  with  much  contention  and  violence. 
Many  of  the  churches  were  closed  against  him  in 
his  earlier  tours,  and  much  misrepresentation  and 
personal  abuse  were  met.  One  instance  among 
many  is  thus  related :  "  On  Lord's  day  an  effort 

was  made  by  Rev. ,  with  two  other  brethren, 

to  prevent  my  preaching,  because  I  was  a  mission- 
ary man.  More  than  an  hour  was  spent  in  debat- 
ing the  subject  with  those  who  took  my  part,  while 
most  of  the  congregation  were  in  the  open  air  and 
cold,  rambling  about,  and  no  acts  of  worship  were 
performed  until  after  one  o'clock,  p.  M.  When 
another  person  had  preached,  an  appeal  was  made 
by  a  friendly  minister  to  the  assembly,  who,  with 
the  exception  of  about  three,  voted  to  have  me 
address  them."  When  he  was  excluded  from  the 
ordinary  house  of  worship,  such  was  his  reputation, 
the  citizens  would  frequently  throw  open  to  him 
the  court-house,  or  other  public  building  in  the 


EEV.   ALFRED    BENNETT.  157 

place,  \vhere,  by  bis  eminently  Christian  spirit, 
lucid  statement  of  facts,  and  fervid  appeals  for 
Christ  and  a  perishing  world,  he  would  put  to 
Bhame  the  opposition ;  and  (to  use  an  expression 
then  common  in  describing  his  efforts)  he  "  took 
away  the  doors,  posts,  bars,  and  all  from  the 
enemy's  citadel." 

For  this  work  Mr.  Bennett  possessed  peculiar 
adaptation.  His  soul  was  glowing  with  mission- 
ary ardor.  His  acquaintance  with  the  Scriptures 
was  intimate  and  practical.  His  mental  resources 
were  always  at  ready  command,  and  an  apt  Scrip- 
ture quotation,  or  a  well-turned  reply,  often  covered 
an  objector  with  no  small  confusion.  To  this  was 
added  a  holy  earnestness  and  benignity  of  man- 
ner, which  at  once  impressed  and  attracted  the 
hearts  of  his  opposers.  His  services  were  eagerly 
sought  by  active  Christians  everywhere,  as  con- 
ducing to  a  deeper  tone  of  spirituality  in  the 
churches,  and  a  more  just  sense  of  responsibility 
respecting  a  lost  world.  Rev.  Dr.  Howell,  then  of 
Nashville,  Tenn.,  thus  wrote  to  him  in  reference 
to  these  labors : 

"  I  am  delighted  to  hear  that  you  will  probably 

be  at  the  next  meeting  of  our  State  convention. 

Be  assured,  should  the  Lord  favor  us  so  much  as 

to  direct  your  way  to  us  at  that  time,  we  shall  fc-el 

U 


158  MEMOIR  OF 

grateful  to  Him,  and  receive  you  with  open  hearts 
and  hands.  I  think  you  ought  to  labor  much  in 
the  West,  especially  in  the  Southwest.  Your  col- 
lections for  the  good  cause  in  Burmah  may  not  be 
quite  so  large,  but  the  deficit  will  be  more  than, 
made  up  to  the  cause  we  love,  by  the  good  you 
will  do  us." 

God  has  associated  the  work  of  foreign  missions 
with  the  highest  prosperity  of  the  churches  in 
the  home  field.  The  auspicious  change  which  has 
been  passing  over  the  spiritual  character  of  many 
of  the  churches  in  the  Southwest,  though  attribu- 
table to  no  single  agency,  is  largely  a  result  of  Mr. 
Bennett's  labors.  The  striking  views  he  presented 
of  the  great  commission,  the  stirring  appeals  he 
made  in  behalf  of  the  heathen  world,  the  exposi- 
tions he  gave  of  the  purpose  of  the  Gospel,  as  in- 
dicated in  the  prophecies  and  in  the  teachings  of 
Christ — illustrated  and  enforced,  as  the  whole  was, 
by  his  Christian  temper,  his  earnest  zeal,  and  his 
life  of  irreproachable  godliness — gave  a  new  direc- 
tion to  Christian  thought,  and  awoke  in  the  hearts 
of  thousands  the  more  active  impulses  of  religious 
character.  The  compassion  awakened  among  Chris- 
tians for  the  distant  heathen,  and  the  obligation 
distinctly  presented  to  send  them  the  Gospel,  in 
turn  awoke  an  interest  in  the  perishing  condition 


REV.    ALFKED   BENNETT.  159 

of  the  ungodly  around  them ;  and  the  tears  of  pity 
falling  over  the  miseries  of  a  lost  world,  were  often 
the  precursors  of  a  refreshing  from  the  presence  of 
the  Spirit  of  God,  and  the  blessed  ingathering  of 
a  revival. 

An  extract  from  a  letter  written  at  Lawrence- 
burgh,  Ind.,  at  this  period,  addressed  to  his  son, 
Dolphas  Bennett,  in  which  he  notes  some  valuable 
thoughts  in  Sidney's  "  Life  of  Rowland  Hill,"  will 
be  here  read  with  interest. 

"  In  coming  down  the  Ohio  I  read  Wm.  Sidney's 
'Life  of  Rowland  Hill.'  The  devotion,  zeal,  and 
activity  of  Mr.  Hill  are  worthy  of  imitation  :  every 
good  man  will  find  his  own  heart  strengthened  by 
Buch  an  example.  There  were  a  few  choice  sen- 
tences which  I  marked,  and  some  of  them  I  will 
mention.  '  If  you  wish  to  gain  a  character  as 
a  minister  of  the  word  of  life,  you  must  first  lose 
it  entirely  in  the  esteem  of  the  world,  and  then 
gain  it  by  your  upright  and  holy  zeal,  by  your 
complete  deadness  to  the  world,  that  you  may 
give  yourself  wholly  to  the  work  of  the  ministry, 
and  spend  and  be  spent  in  the  sacred  cause.  Half- 
way work  is  odious  in  every  profession,  but  in  the 
work  of  God  most  abominable :  such  as  honor 
Christ  shall  be  honored  of  Him.  You  have  suf- 
ficient knowledge  of  the  Gospel  to  know  that  it  is 


160  MEMOIK  OTf 

a  glorious  Gospel,  while  the  thin,  meager  religion 
of  the  world  is  beneath  contempt.'  Again,  '  The 
messenger  of  the  Gospel  becomes  the  truest  patriot, 
when  he  is  most  diligently  employed  in  winning 
his  fellow-countrymen  to  the  religion  of  Jesus 
Christ,  whose  precepts  obeyed  from  the  heart  are 
the  firmest  pillars  of  the  social  system,  and  the 
surest  antidote  to  anarchy  or  misrule.' 

"  Mr.  Hill  felt  his  dependence  much,  as  every 
good  man  will,  upon  the  Holy  Spirit's  influence  in 
the  ministrations  of  the  Gospel.  '  There  is  some- 
thing,' says  he,  '  in  preaching  the  Gospel  with  the 
Holy  Spirit  sent  down  from  heaven,  which  I  long 
to  get  at.  The  nearer  we  live  to  God,  the  better 
we  are  enabled  to  serve  Him.  Oh  how  I  hate  my 
own  noise  when  I  have  nothing  to  make  a  noise 
about !  Heavenly  wisdom  creates  heavenly  utter- 
ance.' He  said  he  liked  Dr.  Ryland's  advice  to  his 
pupils :  JUind,  no  sermon  is  of  any  value,  or  likely 
to  be  useful,  which  has  not  the  three  It's  in  it : 
Ruin  by  the  fall  j  Redemption  by  Christ  j  Re- 
generation by  the  Holy  Spirit.  A  minister  hav- 
ing observed  to  him  that,  notwithstanding  the  fault 
found  with  his  dry  sermons,  there  were  still  hopes 
of  their  usefulness,  for  Samson  had  slain  the  Phil- 
istines with  the  jaw-bone  of  an  ass — 'True,'  he 
•replied, '  but  it  was  a  moist  jaw-bone.'  Mr.  Sid 


EEV.    ALFEED   BENNETT.  161 

ney  utters  a  good  sentiment  on  doctrinal  contro- 
versy :  '  Let  Calvinist  and  Arminian  join  in  one 
common  acknowledgment  that  they  never  should 
have  sought  God  by  nature,  had  he  not  first  sought 
them  by  grace — that  the  only  way  to  eternal  life 
is  through  the  all-sufficient  atonement  of  a  dying 
Saviour,  and  the  only  evidence  of  our  interest  in  His 
blood  is  a  heart  sanctified  by  His  Spirit  and  dedi- 
cated to  His  glory.' 

"  But,  my  dear  son,  while  -we  are  looking  at 
other  men,  desiring  to  copy  their  virtues,  how  much 
need  we  have  of  great  grace  to  overcome  our  own, 
vices  !  To  elevate  our  own  habits  of  thinking,  feel- 
ing, acting,  that  we  may  continually  be  assimi- 
lating to  the  likeness  of  Christ,  is  of  vast  moment 
for  usefulness  in  the  church  or  in  the  world." 

A  letter  from  him  in  Kentucky,  1836,  addressed 
to  his  nephew,  Asa  Bennett,*  whose  heart  was  then 
turning  towards  the  ministry  of  the  Gospel  among 
the  heathen,  is  in  part  here  inserted :  reference  is 

*  This  excellent  young  man,  after  pursuing  a  course  of  study  at 
the  Hamilton  Literary  and  Theological  Institution,  with  refer- 
ence to  the  missionary  work  in  Burmah,  fell  a  victim  to  con- 
sumption before  entering  his  contemplated  field.  His  death  was. 
in  the  calm  assured  hope  of  Christ;  it  is  yet  profoundly  felt  in  a 
large  circle,  who  appreciated  the  virtues  which  adorned  his  char- 
acter. 


162  MEMOIR  OF 

also  made  to  his  niece,  a  young  lady  of  much 
promise,  who  was  wasting  in  consumption. 

"  It  distresses  me  much  to  hear  of  C.'s  state  of 
health  ;  but  as  God  has  ordered  it,  all  is  right,  and 
we  should  submit.  Youth,  beauty,  intelligence, 
activity,  and  hope  are  cut  down  and  wasted  in  her. 
This  must  be  another  great  affliction  to  the  dear 
family,  who  have  already  suffered  so  much  from 
the  same  disease.  The  Saviour  said,  What  I  do 
thou  knowest  not  now  ;  but  thou  shalt  know  here- 
after. Draw  near  to  God ;  cast  all  your  care  upon 
Him,  for  He  carethfor  you.  Let  this  be  your  con- 
solation. Should  C.  be  yet  alive,  tell  her  my 
heart's  desire  and  prayer  to  God  for  her  is,  that 
she  may  be  saved.  The  blessed  Saviour  died  for 
sinners  /  tell  her  to  look  to  Him,  to  cast  herself  at 
His  feet,  and  say,  Lord,  save,  or  I  perish.  It  is 
safe  trusting  in  His  grace,  and  His  power  to  save 
is  infinite.  May  she  shine  before  the  throne  of 
God,  with  her  parents,  and  brothers,  and  sisters, 
and  with  all  the  saints. 

"  You  speak  of  trials  in  relation  to  the  ministry 
in  heathen  lands.  I  would  say,  pray  much,  and 
examine  your  heart  carefully.  To  labor  for  God 
anywhere  is  an  honor,  and  to  be  sent  by  him  to 
teach  the  Gentiles  is  a  distinguished  honor,  but  a 
very  difficult  task.  I  know  not  why  you  may  not 


REV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  163 

be  called  to  serve  God  as  a  missionary,  but  all 
who  think  they  are  called  to  that  work  should  be 
careful  to  know  that  the  call  is  of  God.  The  mis- 
sionary is  like  a  man  upon  the  top  of  a  mount- 
ain, in  the  view  of  all  the  world,  with  the  eye  of 
God  and  the  enmity  of  devils  directed  towards 
him.  He  occupies  one  of  the  most  responsible 
places  in  the  universe :  if  he  succeed  not,  it  will 
be  a  great  defeat ;  but  if  he  does,  it  will  be  a  great 
honor.  In  view  of  all  this,  how  important  it  is 
that  a  man  should  know  himself,  his  inmost  self^ 
touching  all  the  motives  and  desires  of  his  heart, 
that  he  may  be  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the 
principles  which  stimulate  him  to  action,  and  un- 
derstandingly  decide  upon  his  course!  for,  not 
only  his  own  happiness  is  involved'in  the  decision, 
but  the  well-being  of  many  others,  upon  whom  his 
course  will  have  influence." 

The  views  Mr.  Bennett  took  of  his  work  were 
eminently  spiritual,  and  throughout  his  official 
communications  the  pervading  tone  is-  that  of 
humble  reliance  upon  God.  He  thus  concludes  a 
report  of  his  labors,  February  22,  1837,  for  the 
winter  just  closing:  "The  ministration  of  the 
Gospel  among  the  people  almost  daily,  the  infor- 
mation spread  over  a  wide  extent  of  country, 
which  will  do  good  in  future,  together  with  the 


164  MEMOIR   OF 

moral  and  religious  influence  set  in  motion  in  the 
denomination,  have  more  than  compensated  for  all 
the  toil,  fatigue,  privation,  and  danger  encountered 
in  making  this  laborious  tour.  It  becomes  me 
also  to  acknowledge  the  goodness  of  God  all  the 
way,  and  his  special  mercy,  in  many  instances,  in 
preserving  my  life,  limbs,  and  health  amidst  ex- 
posures from  high  waters,  bad  roads,  dangerous 
ice,  inclement  seasons,  and  bewilderment  in  dreary- 
forests  and  prairies.  But  most  of  all  are  my  thanks 
due  to  God  for  the  light  of  His  countenance,  the 
influences  of  His  Spirit,  and  the  supports  of  His 
grace  in  the  discharge  of  the  important  duty  as- 
signed me." 

Many  instances  occurred,  during  his  tours,  of  re- 
markable provMential  preservation,  in  which  he 
could  clearly  see  the  hand  of  God.  On  his  way 
from  Erie,  Penn.,  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  a  journey 
which  it  was  then  necessary  to  perform  by  stage, 
the  coach  was  twice  overset  in  one  night,  occa- 
sioned, in  both  instances,  by  the  driver's  intem- 
perance and  culpable  ignorance  of  the  way.  In 
the  last  instance,  the  horses  were  in  rapid  mo- 
tion, descending  a  dangerous  hill,  and  the  force 
with  which  the  coach  struck  the  ground  was  such 
as  to  cause  it  to  slide  some  distance  on  the 
ground  after  being  overset.  He  was  sitting  on  the 


REV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  165 

forward  seat,  having  only  the  curtain  between  him 
and  the  earth,  and  that  was  badly  torn  in  the  con- 
cussion. 

The  labor  arid  exposures  of  this  winter,  however, 
proved  too  severe  for  him.  Always  unwilling  to 
fail  in  his  appointments,  a  hoarseness,  contracted  in 
this  inclement  season,  finally  induced  what  seemed 
to  be  a  serious  affection  of  the  lungs.  Weakness 
at  length  compelled  him  to  relinquish  all  effort  for 
several  weeks,  and  apprehensions  were  felt  that 
it  might  terminate  his  life.  But  he  so  far  recov- 
ered as  to  reach  Pittsburg,  whence  he  wrote: 
"  Although  this  sickness  is  to.  me  a  sore  calamity, 
and  falls  heavily  on  the  mission  cause,  yet  it  has 
not  been  lost  upon  me.  My  heart  has  been  much 
stirred  up,  instructed,  and  humbled,  all  which  it 
greatly  needed.  Sweet  and  interesting  views  of  a 
Saviour  have  cheered  me,  and  caused  me  to  hope 
that  even  so  vile  a  wretch  as  I  may  yet  be  holy  as 
God  is  holy.  That  is  the  standard  of  moral  excel- 
lence to  which  all  must  come  who  enter  heaven. 
Hence  the  value  of  a  Saviour's  merits,  the  pre- 
ciousness  of  His  atoning  blood,  the  priceless  worth 
of  His  imputed  righteousness,  and  the  importance 
of  His  Spirit  dwelling  within  us,  to  quicken  the 
affections,  strengthen  and  direct  the  desires  in 
prayer,  and  comfort  and  sanctify  the  whole  soul." 


166  MEMOIE  OF 

Though  he  did  not  entirely  recover  his  wonted 
health  until  the  close  of  summer,  the  intermediate 
time  was  spent  in  active  exertion,  chiefly  in  cen- 
tral New  York.  Autumn  found  him  again  in  the 
"West,  passing  through  Ohio,  Kentucky,  Michigan, 
Indiana,  and  Illinois,  "  addressing  both  churches 
and  individuals  on  the  claims  of  missions,  and, 
whenever  practicable,  attending  public  meetings 
of  conventions  and  other  religious  bodies."  The 
condition  of  the  field  had  greatly  changed  since 
he  first  entered  it.  Opposition  had  in  many  places 
entirely  ceased,  and  where  he  was  driven  away, 
or  coldly  received,  in  earlier  years,  the  people 
now  met  him  gladly.  He  wrote  from  Illinois  : 
"  The  ministering  brethren  are  now  favorable,  at 
least  such  as  have  influence  with  the  people,  and 
there  are  revivals  in  many  of  the  churches,  or 
have  lately  been,  which  gives  things  an  entirely 
new  aspect.  In  no  year  since  the  commencement 
of  my  agency,  have  I  seen  so  much  evidence  of 
strong,  united,  and  deep-toned  religious  feeling, 
putting  itself  forth  in  benevolent  effort,  as  in  this : 
in  view  of  which  I  would  thank  God,  devoutly 
hoping  the  signs  of  the  times  will  brighten,  until 
the  whole  earth  is  filled  with  the  knowledge  of 
the  Lord." 

On  returning  from  the  West,  his  time  was  occu- 


KEV.    ALFRED   BENNETT.  167 

pied  chiefly  in  the  interior  of  the  State  of  New 
York  and  in  Connecticut,  addressing  the  churches 
with  his  usual  success,  until  September,  1839. 
He  then  returned  westward,  and  from  Springfield, 
Illinois,  thus  writes  Dr.  Bolles,  Sept.  26  : 

"  In  dating  my  letter,  I  am  forcibly  reminded 
of  the  flight  of  time,  and  the  brevity  of  human 
life.  This  day  commences  my  sixtieth  year  on 
earth.  Fifty-nine  years' time  have  been  allotted 
me  in  the  world,  forty-one  and  a  half  of  them 
have  passed  since  I  acknowledged  allegiance  to 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  King,  and  nearly  thirty- 
five  since  engaging  in  the  ministry.  How  much 
ought  I  to  have  known  by  this  time  under  such  a 
Teacher !  How  much  ought  I  to  have  done  in 
obedience  to  such  a  King !  How  much  more  I 
might  now  be  able  to  do,  had  I  always  been  what 
Christ  required  me  to  be  !  How  much  is  lost  by 
sin  !  But  thanks  ~be  to  God,  tliere  is  perfection  in 
prospect,  through  the  Hood  of  tJie  Lairib.  Oh,  my 
soul,  praise  Him  !  therefore  praise  Him  !  praise 
the  great  Redeemer's  name !" 

While  absent  upon  this  tour,  he  received  intel- 
ligence of  the  illness  of  his  son,  Cephas  Bennett, 
in  Burmah,  and  the  intended  return  of  that  ex- 
cellent missionary  to  this  country  for  a  season, 
seeking  restoration.  To  this  he  replied:  "The 


168  MEMOIR  OF 

loss  of  my  son's  health,  and  his  consequent  re- 
turn, is  grievous  to  my  heart ;  yet  I  hope  God 
will  be  glorified  in  him,  whether  it  be  by  life  or 
death.  I  should  be  happy  to  see  my  children,  but 
more  happy  to  hear  they  were  turning  the  heathen 
to  God  from  dumb  idols,  and  laboring  successfully 
in  health,  as  the  instruments  of  God  in  gathering 
in  His  elect."  And  when,  early  in  184:0,  his  son 
reached  this  country,  the  father,  who  was  laboring 
in  Kentucky,  could  not  be  induced  to  hasten  his 
return,  remarking,  "  It  would  give  me  great  sat- 
isfaction to  come  home  and  enjoy  the  pleasures  of 
domestic  life  with  my  dear  family,  but  the  cause 
here  demands  my  attention."  The  interests  of 
the  Redeemer's  kingdom  seemed  to  surpass  in  his 
view  the  claims  of  all  earthly  objects  ;  and  though 
possessing  a  heart  glowing  with  the  warmest  nat- 
ural affection,  love  to  Christ  burned  there  with 
yet  higher  intensity. 


BEV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  169 


CHAPTER  XI. 

TOTJKS    EAST    AND    WEST. 

To  follow  the  venerated  man,  of  whose  life  the 
memorials  are  here  gathered,  through  all  the  de- 
tails of  his  numerous  tours,  would  swell  this  vol- 
ume beyond  its  appropriate  limit.  Nor  is  it  need- 
ful. The  purpose  of  a  biography  is  to  give  a 
picture  of  the  man,  which  is  often  more  fitly  done 
by  a  few  characteristic  incidents  than  by  crowded 
circumstantial  detail. 

The  later  years  of  his  life  were  employed  chief- 
ly in  New  York  and  the  adjacent  States,  though  a 
few  months  of  each  year  were  commonly  spent  in 
the  West.  Much  importance  was  attached  to  his 
annual  visit  to  that  region.  A  multitude  of  new 
churches  were  springing  up  amidst  the  rapidly 
growing  communities  there.  The  worldly  thrift 
and  enterprise,  so  characteristic  of  the  "West,  and 
often  so  disastrous  to  the  vitality  and  purity  of  the 
churches,  required  the  influence  of  those  elevating, 
ennobling  views  associated  with  giving  the  Gospel 
to  the  world.  A  missionary  spirit  needed  to  be 
15 


170  MEMOIR  OF 

• 

early  infused,  and  a  system  of  benevolent  contri- 
bution established.  This  was  the  peculiar  mission 
of  Mr.  Bennett.  His  success  is  not  to  be  meas- 
ured by  the  amount  of  funds  collected.  His  was 
a  work  of  faith :  he  laid  the  foundations  of  mis- 
sionary effort,  on  which  others  are  rearing  the  su- 
perstructure. God  by  him  opened  springs  of  be- 
nevolence in  the  western  churches,  whose  streams, 
at  first  small,  but  ever  widening  and  deepening, 
will  ultimately  bear  far  and  wide  over  the  earth 
the  peace  and  gladness  of  the  Gospel. 

The  summer  of  1840,  with  the  winter  succeed- 
ing, he  passed  in  his  agency  in  the  Middle  and 
Eastern  States,  inspiring,  as  usual,  interest  every- 
where in  the  missionary  work  by  his  heart-stirring 
appeals.  On  some  of  the  tours  of  this  period, 
he  was  accompanied  by  Rev.  Cephas  Bennett, 
whom  he  was  permitted  to  greet  again,  after  an 
absence  of  more  than  ten  years  among  the  hea- 
then in  Burmah.  After  attending  the  triennial 
session  of  the  Convention  at  Baltimore,  April, 
1841,  he  passed  over  the  mountains  to  meet  with 
several  important  public  bodies  in  Ohio  and  Ken- 
tucky. From  the  latter  State  he  thus  writes  Dr. 
Peck,  secretary  of  the  Board  :  "  Very  little  has 
been  collected  for  foreign  missions  the  year  past, 
especially  beyond  Ohio,  and  from  the  scarcity  of 


REV.   ALFRED  BENNETT.  171 

money  I  fear  little  will  be  done  for  the  year  to 
come.  I  made  three  attempts  at  collection  in  L. : 
one  in  the  first  church,  one  in  the  convention,  and 
one  in  the  colored  church.  The  last  was  thirty- 
two  dollars,  and  more  than  both  the  others.  At 
the  close  of  the  sermon  in  the  colored  church, 
Rev.  Mr.  A.,  their  pastor,  himself  a  colored  man, 
after  making  some  excellent  remarks,  concluded 
by  saying :  '  When  we  have  had  our  monthly 
concerts,  I  have  noticed  there  was  often  a  groan 
of  approbation  over  the  house,  as  desire  was  ex- 
pressed for  particular  things,  especially  when  the 
heathen  were  mentioned ;  and  now  I  want  you  to 
come  forward  and  lay  down  your  money,  or  I 
shall  think  you  did  not  groan  honestly?  Per- 
haps," continues  Mr.  Bennett,  "there  are  some 
white  people  who  will  need  to  groan  again,  or  pay 
more  money  before  all  will  be  done  right.  But 
we  will  bless  God  for  His  mercy  hitherto  received, 
and  devoutly  pray  for  greater  displays  of  His 
power." 

Great  agitation  respecting  the  institution  of  sla- 
very existed  at  this  time  in  the  churches,  both 
[North  and  South.  While  some  of  the  former  re- 
garded the  Board  of  Missions  with  distrust,  charg- 
ing them  as  the  abettors  of  slavery,  and  clamor- 
ously demanded  a  distinct  denunciation  of  that 


172  MEMOIR   OF 

institution,  and  an  entire  separation  from  the 
southern  churches ;  many  in  the  latter  were  de- 
nouncing the  Board  as  ultra-abolition,  and  requir- 
ing some  definite  statement  or  act  which  would 
identify  them  officially  with  that  obnoxious  institu- 
tion. Public  religious  gatherings  in  all  parts  of  the 
country  were  filled  with  exciting  discussions  upon 
this  subject,  and  agitators,  on  either  side,  were 
passing  among  the  churches,  stirring  up  a  spirit 
of  opposition.  Collections  were  much 'impeded, 
as  many  forgot,  in  the  wild  excitement,  their  obli- 
gations to  give  the  Gospel  to  the  heathen.  It  re- 
quired much  watchfulness  and  wisdom,  in  these 
circumstances,  to  keep  steadily  before  Christians 
the  claims  of  a  perishing  world  ;  and  in  the  midst 
of  frequent  and  violent  opposition,  to  mingle  pa- 
tience and  gentleness  with  that  firmness  which  the 
crisis  demanded.  The  influence  of  Mr.  Bennett 
at  this  period  was  of*  great  value.  Ever  kind 
and  conciliatory,  though  uncompromising  where 
he  thought  the  truth  at  stake,  his  counsels  often 
calmed  the  agitation,  and  directed  the  eye  from 
sectional  jealousies  and  lower  interests  to  the  one 
great  object,  around  which  he  would  concentrate 
the  energies  of  the  people  of  God.  The  venera- 
tion universally  felt  for  his  piety,  the  holy  fervor 
with  which  he  plead  for  the  heathen,  as  well  as 


EEV.   AI^FRED  BENNETT.  173 

the  wisdom  of  his  course,  contributed  much  to 
the  preservation  of  the  missionary  interest  during 
that  stormy  period,  until  the  final  separation  of 
the  northern  and  southern  churches  in  their  mis- 
sionary operations,  in  1845,  restored  some  degree 
of  tranquillity. 

The  summer  of  1841,  as  well  as  the  winter  fol- 
lowing, he  employed  mostly  in  the  State  of  New 
York.  It  was,  however,  a  time  of  great  pecuniary 
embarrassment,  which,  conspiring  with  the  above- 
mentioned  occasion  of  dissension,  caused  an  unu- 
sual falling  off  in  the  amount  contributed.  Of 
this  he  wrote  to  Dr.  Bolles,  from  Rochester,  Feb. 
5,  1842,  just  before  that  excellent  man  was  com- 
pelled by  enfeebled  health  to  relinquish  his  post, 
so  long  and  honorably  filled,  as  secretary  of  the 
Board : 

"  I  had  anticipated  sending  from  this  place  nearly 
fifteen  hundred  dollars,  but  shall  fail.  The  cause, 
however,  will  not  fail.  God,  the  ever-Uessed  God, 
will  accomplish  His  purposes  of  mercy  among  the 
heathen,  and  when  we  have  done  all  we  can,  we  have 
done  our  duty.  I  told  the  brethren  at  the  Monroe 
Association,  it  was  folly  to  complain  of  hard  times. 
It  was  not  so  in  Christ's  kingdom  :  the  times  were 
easy  there.  The  pressure  was  in  another  king- 
dom, and  because  they  had  put  their  money  in 
15* 


174  MEMOIB   OF 

the  wrong  place.  ~No  one  in  the  country  had  put 
his  money  into  the  Lord's  treasury,  and  failed  on 
that  account.  In  all  the  States  through  which  I 
had  passed,  and  among  the  thousand  bankruptcies 
which  had  occurred,  and  among  them  hundreds 
of  church  members — among  all,  not  one  could  be 
found  who  attributed  his  ruin  to  his  giving  in  the 
cause  of  God.  No — it  was  putting  his  funds  in 
the  wrong  place,  where  the  blessing  of  God  could 
not  rest  upon  it. 

"  Our  hope  is  in  the  Lord,  and  may  His  Spirit 
and  presence  be  with  the  Board  and  its  officers. 
May  their  feet  be  guided  in  wisdom,  and  the 
work  of  their  hands  established.  Our  national 
councils  seem  to  be  distracted  ;  still  the  cause  of 
God  in  the  earth  will  prosper  to  its  consumma- 
tion. This  is  cheering.  God  is  a  refuge  for  us. 
And  blessed  ~be  His  glorious  name  forever,  mid 
let  the  whole  earth  befitted  with  His  glory" 

His  steps  were  again  directed  westward  in  the 
following  autumn,  visiting  Ohio,  Michigan,  and 
Kentucky.  From  Maysville,  Ky.,  he  thus  ad- 
dresses Mrs.  Bennett,  under  date  of  Dec.  10, 
1842: 

"  This  is  dedicated  to  you,  as  the  companion  of 
my  life.  Forty  years  last  month  we  engaged  to 
each  other,  to  suffer  and  enjoy  in  union,  amidst 


REV.    ALFRED   BENNETT.  175 

the  changes  which  should  come  over  us.  Our 
hope  was  in  God,  and  we  have  not  been  disap- 
pointed ;  for  God  has  been  faithful,  and  His  hand 
has  helped  us  at  all  times.  His  promises  have 
been  the  support  and  comfort  of  our  souls,  while 
His  word  has  been  food  and  strength,  wisdom 
and  consolation.  Truly  we  can  say,  Christ  has 
"been  precious,  very  precious.  How  often  have  we 
found  pardon  and  peace,  when  as  guilty  we  have 
gone  before  His  throne  ! 

"  And  now  when  I  look  back  upon  all  the  way 
the  Lord  has  led  us  these  forty  years  in  the  wil- 
derness, to  prove  us,  and  see  what  was  in  our 
hearts,  whether  we  would  serve  Him  or  not,  I 
think  much  has  been  disclosed  in  my  heart  offen- 
sive to  Him,  and  dishonorable  to  me  ;  and  I  pray 
Him  to  forgive^  and  still  bless  us  both,  while  we 
remain  below.  I  hope  you  find  access  to  the 
throne  of  God  from  day  to  day,  and  leaving  your 
burdens  with  Him,  are  passing  the  time  in  pa- 
tience ;  for  while  you  are  patient  in  tribulation, 
and  continuing  instant  in  prayer,  you  can  rejoice 
in  hope — a  hope  which  maketh  not  ashamed,  be- 
cause the  love  of  God  is  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts 
by  the  Holy  Ghost  which  is  given  unto  us." 

His  labors  were  continued  through  the  winter  in 
different  parts  of  the  West,  without  interruption. 


176  MEMOIR  O# 

No  record  of  them,  however,  is  now  found,  except 
in  occasional  letters  ;  from  one  of  which,  addressed 
to  A.  M.  Beebee,  Esq.,  Utica,  1843,  from  Kentucky, 
we  make  the  following  extracts : 

"  My  health  is  good,  generally.  My  life,  which 
has  always  been  in  God's  hand,  was  again  put  in 
jeopardy  on  the  14th  inst.,  by  being  thrown  sud- 
denly from  my  carriage  upon  the  Macadamized 
rock  road.  No  bones  were  broken,  but  the  bruise 
was  dreadful.  I  fell  into  the  Hands  of  sympathiz- 
ing friends,  both  in  the  family  and  the  physician. 
After  being  confined  to  my  room  and  bed  several 
days,  my  labors  were  resumed,  but  much  pain  is 
suffered  yet  in  the  side  and  shoulder. 

"  Some  time  since  I  heard  a  leading  Campbellite 
discourse  on  the  first  chapter  of  Colossians.  "When 
he  came  to  verse  14,  By  whom  we  have  redemption 
through  His  Hood,  even  the  forgiveness  of  sins, 
he  paused  a  moment  and  said :  '  Some  people  think 
the  "blood  of  Christ  has  something  to  do  with  the 
forgiveness  of  sins,  and,'  said  he,  '  I  have  no  doubt 
they  are  honest  in  thinking  so,  but  they  are  greatly 
mistaken.  The  blood  of  Christ  has  nothing  to  do 
in  putting  away  sins,  under  the  new  covenant, 
any  more  than  the  blood  of  bulls  and  goats  had 
under  the  Old  Testament.  The  blood  ratifies  the 
covenant,  and  we  must  obey  its  commands  to  toe 


REV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  177 

saved.'  Is  not  this  do  and  live?  or  rather,  doing 
and  dying  ! 

"  A  gentleman  of  high  standing  handed  me  the 
following  statement  in  writing  a  few  days  ago : 
'I  heard  a  sermon  in  Frankfort,  in  Jan.,  1843, 
delivered  by  Mr.  Fall  (who  is  a  prominent  Camp- 
bellite  minister),  on  the  subject,  in  part,  of  the 
new  birth,  in  which  he  stated  the  new  birth  was 
an  outward  ordinance  altogether.  He  said,  a  man 
might  have  faith,  repentance,  a  new  heart,  and  a 
good  conscience,  yet  he  had  not  experienced  the 
new  birth.  He  said  baptism  was  a  figurative 
death.  The  last  breath  an  individual  drew  before 
he  was  put  into  the  water  he  was  out  of  the  king- 
dom, while  under  the  water  his  breath  was  stopped, 
and  the  first  breath  he  drew  after  he  was  raised 
from  the  water  he  was  in  the  kingdom  and  a  child 
of  God.' 

"  Mistaken  views  of  human  depravity  occasion 
much  of  this  error,  in  my  opinion.  Man  is  not 
viewed  as  a  poor,  bankrupt  vagabond,  while  in 
sin — utterly  wretched,  helpless,  and  miserable — • 
lying  in  the  wicked  one,  dead  in  trespasses  and 
sins — justly  deserving  eternal  damnation — and 
needing  such  help  as  only  God  can  give  him  in 
Jesus  Christ,  according  to  the  riches  of  His  grace. 
Blessed  be  God  for  a  Redeemer  that  can  save  sin- 


178  MEMOIE  OF 

ners !  This  is  the  precious  truth  which  comforts 
my  heart  amidst  the  toils  and  solicitude  of  life. 
Christ  is  all  my  confidence  still,  after  forty-five 
years  of  experience.  I  have  no  righteousness  to 
mention  but  His  righteousness,  and  I  have  to  go 
in  the  strength  of  the  Lord  God  from  day  to  day. 
My  prayer  is,  Now  also,  when  I  am  old  and  gray- 
headed,  0  God,  forsake  me  not,  till  I  have  showed 
Thy  strength  unto  this  generation,  and  Thy  power 
to  every  one  that  is  to  come" 

The  missionary  meeting  at  Hamilton,  during  the 
commencement  anniversaries  of  Aug.,  1843,  will 
be  remembered  with  deep  interest  for  many  years. 
An  immense  assembly  was  gathered  in  a  large, 
shaded  grove,  forming  an  amphitheatre — a  spot 
hallowed  in  earlier  days  by  the  prayers  of  the 
lamented  Thomas.  Rev.  Eugenio  Kincaid,  re- 
turned missionary  from  Burinah,  had  preached, 
depicting  with  graphic  power  the  signal  triumphs 
of  grace  in  that  heathen  land,  holding  the  vast 
auditory  intensely  interested  for  nearly  two  hours 
and  a  half.  No  ordinary  man  could  have  safely 
followed  him.  Mere  reasoning,  or  learning,  or 
oratory  would  have  seemed  cold  trifling.  It  re- 
quired a  soul,  elevated  and  capacious,  burning  with 
love  to  Christ,  and  melting  with  compassion  for  a 
perishing  world.  Mr.  Bennett  was  the  preacher 


REV.    ALFRED   BENNETT.  179 

chosen.  He  selected  as  his  theme  the  words  of 
the  Apostle,  BretJiren,  pray  for  us  /  and  an  unc- 
tion from  the  Holy  One  seemed  to  rest  upon  him. 
He  spoke  as  one  fresh  from  the  throne  of  God, 
and  standing  beneath  the  cross  of  the  great  Re- 
deemer. The  sermon,  though  in  the  midst  of  other 
exercises  of  thrilling  interest,  left  an  impression 
not  yet  effaced  from  the  hearts  of  the  multitudes 
then  assembled. 

Early  in  1844  we  find  him  again  in  Michigan, 
where,  for  the  first  time,  he  was  attacked  with  the 
ague,  so  common  in  the  West.  By  this,  however, 
he  was  not  laid  aside  from  his  work,  but  pursued 
it  with  usual  ardor,  until  by  powerful  remedies  the 
disease  was  at  length  broken  up. 

The  Southern  churches  having  withdrawn  from 
the  General  Convention,  a  special  meeting  of  that 
body  was  convened,  Nov.,  1845,  in  the  city  of 
New  York,  for  the  purpose  of  reorganization; 
when  a  new  constitution  was  adopted,  and  the 
society  took  the  name  of  "  The  American  Baptist 
Missionary  Union."  Dr.  Judson,  the  veteran  mis- 
sionary ,was  providentially  present,  in  feeble  health, 
and  having  recently,  on  his  homeward  voyage, 
deposited  the  lifeless  remains  of  Mrs.  JudsOh  in 
their  grave  on  the  Island  of  St.  Helena.  Deep 
emotion  was  experienced  at  the  sight  of  the  vener- 


180  MEMOIK   OF 

able  man  of  God,  whose  career  for  thirty  years 
had  been  marked  with  a  noble  devotion,  amidst 
Bufferings  and  labors  for  Christ.  "  Father  Ben- 
nett" was  requested  to  address  the  Throne  of  Grace. 
A  live  coal  from  off  the  heavenly  altar  seemed  to 
have  touched  his  lips.  A  petition  so  fervent  and 
touching,  carrying  the  assembly  with  it,  as  it  were, 
into  the  presence  of  God,  and  spreading  the  wants 
and  interests  of  the  occasion  at  the  foot  of  the 
Throne,  has  seldom  been  heard  from  the  lips  of 
man.  It  appeared  to  be  from  the  inspiration  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.  Every  heart  was  melted  and 
borne  irresistibly  with  it,  and  the  immense  assem- 
bly was  bathed  in  tears. 

After  the  organization  of  the  Missionary  Union, 
much  dissatisfaction  was  felt  with  that  article  of 
the  constitution  which  prescribes  the  terms  of 
membership.  Many  preferred  the  principle  of 
church  representation  to  that  of  life-membership 
which  had  been  adopted.  The  discussion  in  many 
sections  was  warm,  and  not  seldom  acrimonious. 
It  was  seriously  apprehended  that  a  rupture  would 
be  occasioned  by  it.  The  subject,  however,  was 
finally  disposed  of,  by  referring  it  for  final  decision 
to  the  whole  body  of  members ;  the  result  of  which 
was  a  large  majority  in  favor  of  the  life-member- 
ship basis.  During  the  progress  of  this  contro- 


KEV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  181 

versy,  which  continued  several  years,  Mr.  Bennett's 
labors  were  unremitting  to  calm  agitation  and 
prevent  the  dissatisfaction  from  prejudicing  the 
interests  of  the  missions.  The  harmonious  co- 
operation of  the  churches  in  the  Union,  which  re- 
mains, for  the  most  part,  unbroken  in  [New  York 
and  the  "Western  States,  is  to  be  attributed  in 
no  small  degree  to  the  happy  influence  he  ex- 
erted. 

To  the  Baptist  ecclesiastical  polity,  especially 
the  independence  of  the  churches,  he  was  warmly 
and  conscientiously  attached,  and  his  views  on 
this  subject  had  remarkable  distinctness.  This 
gave  to  his  counsels  great  value,  as  he  passed 
among  the  churches  and  participated  in  the  de- 
liberations of  Councils,  Associations,  and  other 
public  religious  bodies.  The  following  incidents 
•will  illustrate  at  once  the  opinions  he  entertained, 
and  the  practical  use  he  made  of  them. 

During  his  early  ministry,  a  Presbyterian  cler- 
gyman, with  whom  he  was  on  terms  of  intimacy, 
once  remarked,  what  a  desirable  gradation  of 
courts  the  Presbyterian  church  polity  furnished 
from  one  to  another,  to  which  difficulties  might 
be  referred  for  adjustment ;  and  wished  to  know 
what  the  Baptists  did  when  their  only  tribunal— 
the  church  in  which  the  difficulty  originated — 
16 


182  MEMOIK  OF       . 

failed  to  reach  a  satisfactory  decision.  He  had  to 
reply  that  there  was  no  way  but  to  "  hang  it  up" 
for  adjudication  at  the  day  of  final  account.  Mr. 
B.  then  asked  him,  in  turn,  what  they  did  when 
their  Session  failed  to  give  satisfaction.  He  re- 
plied that  their  resort  was  to  the  Presbytery. 
But,  rejoined  Mr.  B.,  suppose  the  Presbytery  in 
like  manner  fails?  The  appeal  then  lies  to  the 
Synod,  was  the  answer.  But  suppose  the  Synod 
fail  too  ?  The  next  resort  is  to  the  General  As- 
sembly, was  of  course  answered ;  and  when  Mr. 
B.  inquired  for  the  resort  beyond  this,  the  Pres- 
byterian brother,  already  anticipating  the  end  to 
which  he  was  coming,  pleasantly  replied,  that  he 
supposed  they  would  have  to  "hang  it  up"  like 
their  Baptist  brethren.  Mr.  B.  then  wished  to 
know  if  it  would  not  have  saved  much  trouble, 
expense,  and  asperity  of  feeling,  if  they  could 
have  "hung  it  up"  after  the  first  trial.  He  then 
gave  an  account  of  a  difficulty  which  originated 
in  a  joke  about  a  member  of  a  church,  at  the 
South,  walking  home  with  a  lady  whose  husband 
was  not  a  member  of  the  church.  It  was  at  first 
of  no  account,  but  one  joke  originated  another ; 
and  they  together  grew  into  something  serious. 
The  members  of  the  church  and  community  took 
sides  with  one  party  or  the  other,  and  the  difficul- 


EEV.    ALFRED   BENNETT.  183 

ty,  like  all  others  commencing  in  nothing  and  re- 
ceiving constant  accretions  from  the  spirit  which 
they  generate  in  their  progress,  proved  incapable" 
of  adjustment,  and  after  travelling  the  whole  round 
of  tribunals,  had  to  be  "hung  up"  in  reserve  for 
the  Judgment,  both  by  the  original  parties  and 
those  who  had  attached  themselves  to  either  side 
in  the  progress  of  the  trials. 

He  had  frequent  occasion  to  correct  errors  on 
this  subject,  and  always  did  it  with  great  kind- 
ness, and  in  a  manner  to  leave  good  feeling  be- 
hind. At  a  State  Convention  in  one  of  the  West- 
ern States,  he  noticed  at  one  time  a  great  disposi- 
tion, in  the  circles  of  brethren  in  which  he  moved, 
to  bring  up  for  discussion  the  subject  of  secret  so- 
cieties and  pass  strong  resolutions  upon  it.  He 
went  among  them  privately,  and  sought  to  dis- 
suade them  from  bringing  it  up.  It  was  not  prop- 
er, he  said,  and  the  result  would  always  be  bad 
for  other  bodies  to  anticipate  a»d  control  the  ac- 
tion of  the  churches,  by  passing  general  resolu- 
tions which  they  could  apply  to  no  particular 
case.  He  thought  these  societies  bad  in  their  in- 
fluence, but  that  the  individual  churches  ought  to 
deal  with  those  who  went  off  to  such  organiza- 
tions, untrammelled  by  the  decisions  of  the  Con- 
vention. The  subject  was  not  introduced. 


184:  MEMOIR  OF 

His  usefulness  on  these  tours,  as  a  sound  advi- 
ser and  clear  expositor  of  biblical  principles  of 
church  polity,  will  long  be  felt  in  its  influence  in 
different  parts  of  the  Union. 

The  years  1846-7  were  employed  mainly  in  the 
State  of  New  York,  with  occasional  visits  to  his 
original  field  in  the  West.  Many  mass  mission- 
ary meetings  were  attended  during  this  period, 
where,  with  undiminished  ardor,  he  plead  the 
cause  of  the  heathen.  He  also  made  a  trip  to 
Ohio,  in  company  with  Rev.  Mr.  Osgood,  return- 
ed missionary,  during  the  spring  of  1847,  the  re- 
sults of  which  were  highly  beneficial.  In  the  re- 
port of  his  labors,  given  May,  1848,  for  the  year 
then  closed,  it  is  stated  that  he  had  visited  one 
hundred  and  twelve  churches  in  New  York  (some 
of  them  twice),  with  twelve  Associations ;  besides 
spending  April  and  May  chiefly  in  Ohio,  and 
September  and  October  in  Wisconsin  and  Michi- 
gan. He  had  travelled  about  eight  thousand 
three  hundred  and  fifty-two  miles,  and  preached 
two  hundred  and  fifty-two  sermons,  besides  ad- 
dressing different  assemblies,  on  other  occasions, 
nearly  as  many  times  more. 

It  was  thus  he  toiled,  while  his  head  was  al- 
ready whitened  for  the  grave,  and  his  frame  bow- 
ed under  the  weight  of  almost  seventy  years. 


REV.   ALFBED   BENNETT.  185 

The  work  was  God's.  The  interests  of  a  dying 
world  lay  upon  his  heart.  The  reward  was  near 
and  glorious. 

16* 


186  MEMOIR  OF 


CHAPTER  XII, 

ILLNESS   AND   DEATH. 

THE  first  intimation  of  the  presence  of  the  pain- 
ful disease,  which  at  length  terminated  fatally, 
was  given  at  Hamilton,  during  the  Commence- 
ment anniversaries  of  Madison  University.  The 
excitement  respecting  the  removal  of  that  institu- 
tion to  a  more  western  location  was  then  at  its 
height,  and  rendered  the  occasion  one  of  deep, 
and  often  painful,  interest.  This  may  have  been 
the  occasion  of  the  attack  at  that  time ;  the 
causes,  however,  are  to  be  found  in  the  long-con- 
tinued privations  and  exposures  necessarily  inci- 
dent to  his  agency.  The  disease  then  speedily 
yielded  to  medical  treatment,  and  he  was  able  in 
a  few  days  to  resume  travelling. 

Early  in  the  next  month,  he  was  called  to 
preach  the  funeral  sermon  of  Rev.  Dr.  Nathaniel 
Kendrick,  who,  after  a  protracted  period  of  ex- 
cruciating suffering,  under  which  the  eminent  ser- 
vant of  God  was  signally  supported,  died  in  peace- 


REV.   ALFRED  BENNETT.  187 

ful  triumph  at  the  village  of  Hamilton.  The  text 
assigned  him  by  his  departed  friend  was  from  the 
forty -third  Psalm  :  Hope  in  God  ;  for  I  shall  yet 
praise  Him,  who  is  the  health  of  my  countenance 
and  my  God.  The  occasion  deeply  affected  him ; 
and  from  the  fulness  of  his  capacious  soul,  he 
set  forth  "  The  Christian's  grounds  of  consolation 
and  triumph,"  with  an  ardor  and  unction  which 
will  not  soon  be  forgotten  by  his  auditors.  He 
felt  himself  standing  over  the  grave  of  an  early 
and  long-tried  friend,  with  whom  were  associated 
many  of  the  most  precious  recollections  of  life, 
while  his  own  enfeebled  frame  reminded  him,  also, 
of  approaching  dissolution.  Of  thi&  event,  he 
thus  writes  to  Mrs.  Bennett:  "So,  then,  that  good 
man  has  received  an  honorable  discharge  forever 
from  all  his  sufferings.  I  am  looking  with  pleas- 
ure and  strong  hope,  that  soon  you  and  I  shall 
also  be  removed  from  this  state  of  tumult  and 
trouble — of  privation  and  toil — of  imperfection 
and  sorrow.  May  it  be  alike  safe  and  honorable 
for  us !" 

Soon  after,  he  felt  constrained,  by  increasing  fee- 
bleness, t-c  propose  a  partial  release  from  his 
agency.  "  The  labor  and  responsibility,"  he  re- 
marks, "  are  becoming  a  burden,  in  prospect  of  a 
cold  winter,  with  windy  and  stormy  days  and 


188  MEMOIR  OJt 

nights,  when  appointments  must  ~be  met,  or  the 
cause  suffer.  My  age  and  infirmities  are  the  only 
plea.  My  heart  is  in  the  work,  and  I  am  willing 
to  do  what  I  can ;  but  what  was  once  easy  for 
me  in  travelling  and  preaching,  and  visiting  from 
house  to  house,  and  from  town  to  town,  is  now 
impossible."  The  Executive  Committee  did  not, 
however,  release  him,  but  left  it  discretional 
with  him  to  labor  or  refrain,  as  health  would 
permit. 

In  the  view  of  advancing  age,  he  thus  wrote  to 
Eev.  Alvin  Bennett,  November  29,  1848  : 

"  The  journey  of  life  with  us  will  soon  be  over, 
and  the  joys  and  sorrows  incident  to  the  way  may 
now  be  mentioned  freely.  My  own  experience 
tells  me  of  much  for  which  I  have  to  mourn,  and 
over  which  to  battle  hard,  that  I  may  be  a  victor 
at  last.  For  '  he  that  overcomeih  shall  inherit  all 
things.'  It  is  difficult  to  overcome  Satan  and  all 
his  devices  ;  they  are  artful  and  powerful.  Then 
the  world  comes  in  at  the  door  of  the  enemy, 
but  in  the  garb  of  friendship,  and  seems  to  have 
a  demand  on  our  time  and  attention,  carrying  us 
along  with  its  spirit  in  search  for  its  perishable 
treasures  and  seductive  pleasures.  .  .  And  last, 
but  not  least,  self,  beloved  self,  enters  and  claims 
the  throne  within.  Now,  what  should  I  do,  what 


REV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  189 

could  I  do  without  a  Saviour,  and  such  a  Saviour 
as  is  Jesus  Christ,  who  receiveth  sinners,  and 
maketh  them  holy,  and  crowneth  them  with  glory 
and  honor  ?  In-IIis  name,  and  by  His  blessing, 
I  am  still  in  the  field,  laboring  to  promote  right- 
eousness and  truth  in  the  earth." 

A  few  weeks  during  the  autumn  of  this  year 
were  spent,  as  often  before,  in  the  West.  On  his 
return,  he  addressed  a  letter  to  Rev.  "William 
Palmer,  Norwich,  Conn.,  December  16,  from 
which  we  take  the  following  paragraph  : 

" '  God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way, 
His  wonders  to  perform  ;' 

and  we  may  add,  in  a  majestic  way ;  yea,  more, 
in  a  merciful  way.  The  greatest  wonders  are 
seen  in  the  works  of  His  grace  in  this  fallen 
world,  preparing  citizens  for  heaven ;  and  it  seems 
to  me,  if  I  am  permitted  citizenship  there  at  last, 
it  will  be  the  greatest  wonder  of  all.  Still,  my 
heart  is  not  affected  as  much  with  the  truth  as  it 
ought  to  be.  I  fear  I  am  depending  more  on  past 
experience  than  upon  present  communion  with 
God,  for  my  evidence  of  acceptance  with  Christ. 
I  know  not  how  it  may  be  with  you,  but  I  find  in 
old  age  a  disposition  to  sink  into  a  habit  or  form 
of  religion,  which  I  fear  I  may  substitute  for  the 


190  MEMOIR  OF 

living  principle,  and  so  deceive  myself.  "Well, 
we  shall  soon  know  our  future  destiny;  and  it 
will  be  peculiarly  joyful,  if  we  may  be  near  and 
like  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  That  will  le  Tieaven 
indeed" 

This  winter  and  the  summer  of  1849  were  em- 
ployed in  the  State  of  New  Tork,  with  his  accus- 
tomed zeal  and  success  ;  and  during  the  closing 
months  of  the  year,  he  performed  one  of  the  se- 
verest journeys  in  the  "West  which  it  had  fallen 
to  his  lot  to  experience.  He  was  accompanied  -on 
this  trip  by  Rev.  Mr.  Bronson,  returned  mission- 
ary from  Assam.  Of  this  tour,  he  remarks :  "My 
health  has  been  good  during  the  whole  journey, 
except  fatigue  from  excess  of  travel.  The  meet- 
ings were  so  near  together  in  time,  and  so  far 
apart  in  distance,  there  was  no  rest.  I  was  absent 
from  home  forty-eight  days,  in  which  I  travelled 
a  little  over  three  thousand  miles,  and  attended 
meetings  twenty-four  days,  or  parts  of  days,  in 
that  time.  God  has  blessed  us  in  our  journey- 
ings,  and  to  His  name  be  everlasting  praise." 

The  venerable  "  Father  Peck"  closed  his  long 
and  useful  life  December  15,  1849.  According  to 
an  arrangement  made  between  them  many  years 
before,  that  the  survivor  should  minister  at  the 
grave  of  the  first  deceased,  Mr.  Bennett  was  call- 


KEY.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  191 

ed  to  preach  the  funeral  sermon  of  this,  another 
of  his  early  co-laborers.  His  text  was  Acts  xiii. 
36  :.  Dav-id,  after  he  had  served  his  own  genera- 
tion, ly  the  will  qf  God,  fell  on  sleep :  when  he 
paid  a  just  and  feeling  tribute  to  the  memory  of 
his  excellent  friend.  They  had  been  associated 
intimately  through  life  :  first  as  pastors  in  the 
Madison  Association,  when  they  regularly  ex- 
changed pulpits  once  a  year ;  and  subsequently 
as  agents,  the  one  of  the  Foreign,  the  other  of  the 
Home  Mission  Society.  At  our  national  anniver- 
saries, these  two  venerable  fathers  in  the  ministry, 
for  many  years,  were  always  seen,  calm  amidst 
agitation,  wise  in  counsel,  fervent  in  spirit,  and 
mighty  in  prayer  before  the  Throne.  The  death 
of  this  loved  fellow-servant  of  God  came  to  him  as 
a  premonition  of  his  own  approaching  departure. 
A  letter  to  Rev.  William  Palmer,  in  April, 
from  Homer,  remarks  :  "  "We  have  buried  two  of 
our  old  citizens  the  past  week.  Those  of  our  age 
are  becoming  scarce.  Our  brother  Eleazar  has 
gone  to  rest  before  his  brethren  :  he  went  quick, 
but  safe.  Brother  Peck,  of  Cazenovia,  has  also 
laid  oif  his  armor,  and  at  the  Saviour's  call  gone 
up  to  his  habitation,  where  he  will  ever  be  with 
the  Lord.  I  believe  now  there  is  but  one  man 
left  among  the  ministry  of  New  York,  who  was 


192  MEMOIR  OF 

in  that  office  here  when  I  entered  the  State. 
Life  seems  very  short,  but  the  prospect  is  not 
gloomy." 

Another  of  the  same  month,  to  his  only  remain- 
ing brother,  Rev.  Alvin  Bennett,  thus  records  the 
reflections  of  this  period  : 

"  How  few  families  have  more  reason  of  grati- 
tude than  ours,  for  the  distinguished  mercy  of 
God  !  Parents  pious  :  with  this  is  connected  the 
Christian  education  of  their  children.  They,  in 
turn,  grow  up  all  professing  godliness.  Through 
the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  they  have 
lived  and  died  in  faith ;  or  are  living,  with  good 
hope,  through  grace,  of  meeting  each  other,  their 
parents,  and  the  Saviour,  in  heaven.  My  times 
are  in  God's  hand,  and  will  be  consummated 
soon. 

"  In  reviewing  the  way  the  Lord  has  led  me,  I 
find  much  cause  for  astonishment,  both  as  regards 
my  disobedience  and  ingratitude  to  Him,  and  His 
compassion  and  patience  towards  me.  "Well  may 
I  say,  '  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  forget  not 
all  His  benefits.'  I  hope,  however,  God  has 
blessed  me  with  His  approving  presence  even  this 
winter,  notwithstanding  all  my  backslidings  from 
Him.  I  have  enjoyed  some  sweet  seasons  in 
preaching  the  glorious  Gospel  of  Christ,  while 


EET.    ALFRED   BENNETT.  193 

laboring  to  persuade  men  to  aid  in  preaching  it 
to  others.  I  have  found  it  good  to  draw  near  to 
God  in  prayer,  and  it  has  been  with  sweet  satis- 
faction I  have  had  the  high  honor  at  a  throne  of 
grace  of  pouring  out  my  soul  before  Him.  One 
thing  is  a  comfort  to  me  in  my  old  age :  it  is,  that 
I  have  been  counted  worthy  to  be  put  into  the 
ministry,  and  that  I  have  not  been  left  of  God  so 
to  wander  from  that  ministry,  as  to  engage  in 
politics,  or  worldly  business,  or  become  connected 
with  any  secret  societies,  so- as  to  be  brought  un- 
der their  power.  To  feel  that  I  am  independent 
of  the  world,  and  permitted  to  call  God  my 
Father,  Jesus  Christ  my  Saviour,  the  Holy  Spirit 
my  Comforter,  and  Heaven  my  home — is  enough. 
I  am  satisfied,  and  looking  up,  can  say,  Father, 
Thy  will  l)e  done" 

At  the  opening  of  summer,  he  made  his  last 
visit  to  the  Western  States,  accompanied  by  Rev. 
Mr.  Haswell,  returned  missionary  from  Burmah. 
The  tour  was  successful,  but  he  experienced  a  re- 
currence of  the  ague,  which,  with  a.  severe  and 
painful  inflammation  in  one  of  his  limbs,  compel- 
led him  on  returning  to  Homer  to  desist  from  ac- 
tive labor.  To  Rev.  Edward  Bright,  Home  Sec- 
retary of  the  Union,  he  wrote,  July  16  : 

"  I  sometimes  become  exceedingly  uneasy,  say- 
17 


ing,  "WTiat  shall  we  do  to  meet  the  outfit  of  that 
"blessed  cargo  of  missionaries*  now  about  to  sail, 
and  supply  the  current  expenses  of  the  year? 
Then  I  look  up  to  God,  who  has  the  hearts  of  all 
men  in  His  hand,  and  submit  the  matter  to  Him. 
Faith  in  His  purpose  and  promise  tends  to  give 
peace  to  my  mind.  So  here  I  am,  old  and  infirm, 
compelled  to  submit  to  the  providence  of  God  con- 
cerning me :  still,  I  think  I  rejoice  to  be  in  His 
hand,  as  the  clay  is  in  the  hand  of  the  potter. 
You  are  now  exceedingly  busy  preparing  for  the 
embarkation  of  the  missionaries.  May  God's 
presence  go  with  them  to  their  fields  of  labor ! 
Could  I  see  them,  I  would  say, 

'  Now,  here's  my  heart,  and  here's  my  hand,' 

to  labor  now  in  His  work,  and  meet  you  there, 
above,  where  together  and  forever  we  may  bow 
before  the  Lord  our  Redeemer,  and  with  all  our 
hearts  praise  Him  who  has  counted  us  worthy  to 
labor  and  suffer  for  His  sake.  Oh,  it  is  an  honor." 
Again,  July  22,  he  wrote  in  reference  to  the 
same  event :  "  To-day,  I  suppose,  is  filled  up  with 

*  Rev.  Eugenic  Kincaid,  John  Dawson,  M.  D,  and  their  wives, 
designated  to  Ava  or  some  other  place  in  the  interior  of  Burmah  ; 
Rev.  Messrs.  S.  M.  Whiting  and  William  Ward,  and  their  wives, 
with  Miss  M.  S.  Shaw,  designated  to  Assam. 


REV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  195 

activity  and  anxiety  connected  with  the  departure 
of  the  missionaries.  Well,  if  I  were  able  to  share 
any  part  of  the  labor,  it  would  give  me  pleasure, 
as  I  think ;  and  yet  I  know  it  is  not  according  to 
the  will  of  God,  for  His  providence  has  otherwise 
ordered.  It  is  a  consolation  to  feel  that  the  mis- 
sion cause  is  under  the  immediate  care  and  eye  of 
the  adorable  Saviour,  who  has  His  elect  subjects 
in  all  lands  and  among  all  languages,  and  they 
will  be  gathered  in  at  the  appointed  time ;  for 
He  hath  purposed  it.  Also  the  means  are  all  at 
His  disposal,  by  which  He  will  accomplish  His 
design.  If  He  has  ought  more  for  me  to  do, 
ability  will  be  given  me  to  effect  it ;  but  I  know 
that  He  can  carry  forward  His  work  to  comple- 
tion without  me,  and  I  ought  not  to  repine.  I 
am  unworthy  of  the  honor  connected  with  such 
an  enterprise.  I  only  am  troubled  now  in  view 
of  the  past,  lest  He  has  laid  me  aside,  being  of- 
fended that  I  did  not  honor  Him  more,  that  I  had 
no  higher  respect  for  His  majesty,  no  more  exalt- 
ed views  of  His  holiness  and  glory,  and  no  great- 
er measure  of  that  self-loathing,  hatred  of  sin, 
and  confidence  in  Christ,  which  ought  ever  to 
dwell  in  the  heart  of  a  sinner,  saved  by  the  grace 
of  God  from  deserved  and  eternal  ruin." 

His   active   work  was  now  done.     He  expe- 


196  MEMOIR   OF 

rienced  soon  after  a  recurrence  of  the  disease 
which  had  temporarily  prostrated  him  at  Hamil- 
ton, attended  with  great  physical  suffering.  The 
severity  of  it  passed  away  in  a  few  days,  but  the 
complaint  was  never  removed.  Writing  of  it 
soon  after,  he  remarked  :  "  The  affliction  has  been 
wholly  confined  to  my  body.  My  soul  has  ~been 
at  ease.  I  could  say  with  Samuel  Pearce — 

'  Sweet  affliction,  sweet  affliction, 
Singing  as  I  wade  to  heaven.' 

It  seemed  I  was  lifted  up  by  a  hair,  and  swung 
out  into  space,  entirely  beyond  the  reach  of  friends, 
or  of  medical  influence,  where  I  was  held  by  an 
Almighty  agency,  and  in  doubt  whether  I  would 
land  again  in  this  world  or  not.  But  oh  !  how 
sweet  it  was  to  be  there  !  all  was  peace,  for  I  was 
in  the  hand  of  my  best  Friend." 

He  made  a  brief  visit  to  Saratoga  Springs  with 
apparently  beneficial  results  to  his  general  health, 
especially  in  removing  the  ague,  which  had  long 
been  upon  him ;  but  he  left  soon,  anxious  to  at- 
tend to  the  interests  of  the  Missionary  Union  in 
several  associations  about  to  assemble,  where  he 
'became  much  exhausted.  His  last  public  effort, 
before  any  considerable  body  of  his  brethren  in 
•the  ministry,  was  November  4,  when  he  preached 


EEV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  197 

the  first  annual  sermon  before  the  ~Nev?  York  Bap- 
tist Union  for  Ministerial  Education,  at  the  open- 
ing of  the  University  of  Rochester — an  institution 
of  which  he  was  one  of  the  most  generous  found- 
ers, and  in  which  to  the  last  he  took  the  liveliest 
interest.  His  theme  on  this  occasion  was,  The 
knowledge  of  God,  tft£  true  basis  and  highest  end 
of  education :  in  the  discussion  of  which  he  un- 
folded the  most  impressive  views  of  the  indisso- 
luble relation  between  godliness  and  true  learning, 
and  the  necessity  of  sacred  principles  as  the  only 
foundation  of  the  educational  work. 

He  subsequently  returned  to  Rochester,  at  the 
invitation  of  Dr.  H.  "W.  Dean,  a  warm  personal 
friend,  whose  hospitality  and  medical  attention  he 
enjoyed  for  several  weeks,  and  of  whose  unwearied 
kindness,  with  that  of  his  family,  he  always  en- 
tertained a  most  grateful  sense.  Several  other 
eminent  medical  gentlemen  of  that  city  were  also 
consulted,  but  human  help  had  become  powerless, 
except  to  alleviate  suffering.  Dr.  Dean,  in  a  let- 
ter to  the  writer,  remarks  :  "  At  the  time  he  first 
submitted  his  case  to  me,  October,  1850,  he  was 
Buffering  from  a  disease  of  his  digestive  organs 
of  a  chronic  character,  just  such  as  might  be  ex- 
pected to  result  from  his  long-protracted  habits  of 
exposure  to  inclement  weather,  long  fasting,  and 
IT* 


198  MEMOIB   Off 

the  consequent  evil  of  improper  food  untimely 
taken.  This  had  provoked  a  more  serious  malady 
— an  organic  disease  of  the  kidneys,  which,  with 
the  certain  prospect  of  a  fatal  issue,  denied  to  us 
the  physician's  comfort.  His  sufferings  were  al- 
most constant,  and  at  times  extreme.  Allow  me 
to  add,  that  I  have  rarely  witnessed  more  pa- 
tience, submission,  and  uniform  good  feeling  in 
suffering,  than  in  our  lamented  '  Father  Bennett.' 
He  was  a  living  testator  to  the  worth  of  Chris- 
tianity in  a  needy  hour." 

On  his  return  to  Homer,  he  continued  gradu- 
ally sinking.  He  thus  addressed  the  Rev.  Alvin 
Bennett,  December  31,  1850: 

"  The  date  of  this  reminds  me  of  the  flight  of 
time,  and  the  close  of  the  first  half  of  the  nine- 
teenth century,  in  which  great  changes  have  taken 
place.  Well,  blessed  be  God  for  His  goodness  to 
us !  The  change  of  all  changes,  and  the  one  by 
which  we  have  been  the  most  affected,  was  that  in 
our  affections,  which  occurred  before  the  com- 
mencement of  the  present  century.  We  go  back 
to  thrilling  scenes  in  Mansfield  for  the  cause  of 
those  hopes  and  efforts  which  have  characterized 
our  lives.  That  God  to  whom  I  then  committed 
the  keeping  of  my  soul,  has  been  my  unfailing 
support ;  yea,  He  is  the  God  of  my  life.  Jesus 


REV.    ALFRED    BENNETT.  199 

Christ,  that  precious  Saviour,  to  ine  the  chiefest 
among  ten  thousand,  was  then  and  is  now  the 
One  altogther  lovely."  ^ 

His  last  meeting  with  the  church  in  Homer, 
over  which  he  so  long  presided,  was  at  the  cele- 
bration of  the  Lord's  Supper,  on  the  first  Sabbath 
in  February,  the  fifty-first  anniversary  of  his  pub- 
lic profession  of  Christ,  when  his  emaciated  coun- 
tenance and  tremulous  voice  gave  to  all  sad  pre- 
monitions of  his  approaching  departure,  and  added, 
sorrow  to  the  deep  solemnity  of  that  occasion. 
Once  a  week  his  Christian  brethren  were  accus- 
tomed to  gather  round  him,  to  unite  with  him  in 
prayer  and  receive  his  dying  counsels ;  and  many 
of  those  seasons  will  live  in  their  remembrance 
till  they  join  him  in  the  skies.  His  house  was  fre- 
quently thronged  by  those,  coming  from  far  and 
near,  who  sought  one  more  word  of  counsel  before 
he  should  depart. 

His  mind  was,  from  the  first,  calm  and  peace- 
ful. The  prospects  before  him  were  bright  and 
blessed,  and  the  rays  of  glory  seemed  to  fall  upon 
his  soul  with  intenser  brilliancy  as  he  drew  nearer 
the  eternal  world.  There  were  no  ecstasies,  but  a 
calm,  sweet,  unshaken  confidence  in  the  Redeemer. 
In  one  of  the  last  conversations,  he  spoke  to  thia 
effect :  "  More  than  fifty  years  ago  I  had  a  view 


200  MEMOIR  Off 

of  God  upon  the  throne.  I  saw  that  He  ruled,  and 
would  rule  in  spite  of  me ;  and  it  was  my  great- 
est misery.  I  would  gladly  have  hurled  Him  from 
His  seat,  if  it  had  been  in  my  power,  but  I  could 
not.  I  saw  that  He  was  sovereign,  and  •!  hated 
Him ;  it  was  my  terror  and  misery  that  I  could 
not  dethrone  Him.  But,"  he  continued,  "this 
winter  I  have  enjoyed  another  view  of  God.  I 
have  seen  Him  upon  the  throne,  and  the  sight  has 
filled  me  with  rejoicings.  I  love  to  see  Him  there. 
I  am  glad  He  is  Sovereign.  I  love  His  character ; 
I  love  His  Gospel;  I  love  His  government;  I 
would  not  have  one  alteration  in  His  plan.  All 
His  ways  are  holy,  just,  and  true ;  and  they  are 
just  as  I  would  have  them.  His  sovereignty,  which 
was  once  my  greatest  dread  and  anguish,  is  now 
the  chief  source  of  my  comfort  and  hope."  As  a 
few  friends  had  gathered  round  him,  at  the  close 
of  worship  on  Lord's  Day,  he  remarked :  "  I  do 
not  know  where  I  shall  spend  the  next  Sabbath. 
I  am  in  hope  soon  to  put  off  this  old  garment,  and 
enter  where  I  can  worship  God  in  the  beauty  of 
holiness." 

The  church  in  Homer  was  especially  dear  to  him ; 
and  among  his  latest  petitions  those  for  the  loved 
brethren  there  seemed  to  rise  with  peculiar  fervor. 
"When  asked  if  there  was  any  message  he  would 


EEV.   ALFBED   BENNETT.  201 

have  the  pastor  bear  them  as  his  dying  counsels, 
he  replied  :  "  I  have  been  delivering  ray  message 
for  more  than  forty  years ;  and  now  my  work  is 
done."  The  life  he  lived  among  them ;  the  truths 
of  God,  which,  when  in  vigor,  he  so  faithfully  dis- 
pensed ;  the  admonitions,  and  counsels,  and  con- 
solations administered  to  them  for  nearly  half  a 
century — these  were  his  dying  bequests.  "  There 
are  two  questions,"  said  he,  "  which  I  could  wish 
put  to  the  church,  and  to  all  the  world.  They  are 
these  :  Which  is  of  greatest  value,  the  body  or  the 
soul?  and  for  which  are  you  making  the  most 
effort  ?"  Then  raising  his  enfeebled  voice,  he  ex- 
claimed :  "  Oh  that  all  could  see  the  priceless  worth 
of  the  soul,  as  it  now  appears  to  me  !"  His  pastor 
one  day  speaking  of  the  Gospel  as  sustaining  him 
in  this  hour  of  trial,  he  replied  with  great  empha- 
sis :  "  I  would  it  could  be  proclaimed  wide  as  the 
world,  that  the  Gospel  I  have  feebly  endeavored 
to  preach  for  many  years  is  now  my  only  and  all- 
sufficient  comfort."  Some  gentlemen  of  wealth 
having  called  to  pay  respect  to  him  in  his  illness, 
when  they  were  gone  it  was  remarked  by  one  pre- 
sent that  they  were  without  a  Christian's  hope ;  he 
answered  with  an  expression  of  deep  humility  and 
gratitude  to  God :  "  I  would  not  now  exchange  the 
blessed  consciousness  of  having  honestly  endear 


204  MEMOIR  OF 

nature  be  tasked,  just  to  save  me  a  few  days  of 
suffering?  Why  wish  the  way  of  God  altered? 
It  might — so  complex  are  God's  plans — cause  last- 
ing injury  to  thousands  of  souls,  to  spare  me  a 
short  time  of  pain.  The  plan  of  God  is  all  right : 
I  would  sink  into  His  will."  When  too  weak  to 
converse  with  freedom,  he  was  wont  to  reply  to 
inquiries  respecting  the  state  of  his  mind :  "  I  am 
almost  home,  Jesus  is  precious."  "  Peace."  "  All 
is  clear."  "  ISTot  a  cloud,  not  a  shade."  And  in 
this  state  he  continued,  till  on  the  morning  of  May 
10,  1851,  in  the  seventy-first  year  of  his  age,  hia 
bo'dy  sunk  peacefully  in  death,  and  the  "  chariot 
of  fire  and  horses  of  fire,"  ascending,  bore  him 
beyond  our  sight. 

The  concourse  at.  his  funeral,  which  occurred 
May  12,  was  immense.  Rev.  T.  K.  Fessenden, 
pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church  in  Homer, 
led  the  deeply  affected  multitude  in  prayer  before 
the  Throne.  The  funeral  sermon,  by  request  of  the 
deceased,  was  preached  by  his  early  friend  and 
brother,  Rev.  Lewis  Leonard,  of  Cazenovia.  The 
text  selected  by  the  preacher  was  Rev.  xiv.  13 : 
Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord  from 
henceforth:  Yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may 
restfr&m  their  labors  j  and  their  works  do  follow 
them.  The  mourning  circle  was  then  addressed, 


EEV.    ALFRED   BENNETT.  205 

and  prayer  offered,  by  the  venerable  "Father 
Pnrinton,"  of  MacLean,  who  had  for  nearly  forty 
years  been  intimately  associated  with  the  departed 
servant  of  God.  The  closing  hymn  was  that  singu- 
larly beautiful  and  expressive  effusion  of  Mont- 
gomery, commencing— 

"  Friend  after  friend  departs ;" 

the  last  verse  of  which  awoke  in  many  bosoms 
touching  memories  of  the  departed  fathers,  Ken- 
drick  and  Peck,  who  had  so  lately  preceded  him 
whose  lifeless  form  lay  before  them : 

.  __  "  Thus  star  by  star  declines, 

Till  all  are  passed  away ; 
As  morning  high  and  higher  shines, 

To  pure  and  perfect  day : 
Nor  sink  those  stars  in  empty  night, 
But  hide  themselves  in  Heaven's  own  light" 

During  the  solemn  services,  the  stores  were  closed 
and  all  business  suspended ;  the  Academy,  its 
trustees,  officers,  and  students,  united  in  the  mourn- 
ing concourse ;  and  the  whole  community  gathered 
in  the  house  of  (rod,  where,  amidst  the  sacred  still- 
ness of  death,  the  falling  tear  and  the  heaving 
breast  attested  their  grief,  as  for  a  departed  father. 
On  the  following  Sabbath,  in  accordance  with  the 
wish  of  the  deceased,  his  pastor  addressed  tha 
18 


266  MEMOIR   OF 

congregation  and  community,  on  which,  occasion  a 
discourse  was  delivered  from  2  Kings  ii.  12 :  My 
father,  my  father,  the  chariot  of  Israel  and  the 
'horsemen  thereof !  presenting  a  brief  outline  oi 
his  life  and  character. 

The  intelligence  of  his  death  reached  Boston  as 
the  Missionary  Union  was  about  opening  its  session 
in  that  city,  and  spread  the  deepest  sorrow  through 
the  assembled  body.  Public  expressions  of  grief, 
and  testimonials  of  his  worth,  were  placed  upon 
their  records ;  in  which  they  were  followed  by 
numerous  other  religious  bodies,  both  East  and 
West,  attesting  their  high  appreciation  of  his 
character  and  services,  and  deploring  his  removal 
as  no  ordinary  loss  to  the  churches  of  Christ. 

The  following  minute  in  relation  to  his  death 
was  adopted  by  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 
Missionary  Board,  and  entered  upon  their  records : 

"The  Kev.  Alfred  Bennett,  of  Homer,  New 
York,  was  for  nearly  a  third  of  a  century  more  or 
less  intimately  identified  with  the  cause  of  Foreign 
Missions ;  and  it  is  but  just  to  his  endeared 
memory,  to  declare  that  he  uniformly  gave  the 
most  unequivocal  evidence  of  sincere,  considerate, 
earnest  devotion  to  its  highest,  holiest  ends.  He 
apprehended  the  object  by  an  intelligent  faith,  and 
pursued  it  with  a  perseverance  that  never  faltered. 


REV.   ALFRED   BKKNETT.  207 

At  an  early  period  he  joyfully  gave  a  son  to  the 
foreign  service,  who  still  survives,  a  useful  laborer 
among  the  heathen.  Subsequently,  at  the  call  of 
the  Board,  he  gave  himself  to  the  home  service, 
as  an  agent  for  the  collection  of  funds,  and  the 
culture  of  the  missionary  spirit  in  the  churches. 
In  this  department,  for  nineteen  years,  he  was 
laborious,  indefatigable,  judicious,  and  eminently 
successful.  His  labors  were  widely  extended ;  and 
in  all  his  intercourse  with  the  ministers  and 
churches,  his  conduct  was  remarkably  free  from 
the  breath  of  reproach.  In  every  part  of  the  field, 
his  presence  and  services  were  cordially  welcomed. 
His  cheerful  piety,  his  warm  spirituality,  his  pru- 
dence, patience,  and  fidelity,  caused  him  to  be 
loved,  respected,  and  trusted.  Over  a  very  wide 
surface  his  influence  was  such  as  to  render  the 
repetition  of  his  visits  an  object  of  general  desire. 
To  this  committee,  and  its  predecessor,  the  Acting 
Board,  the  fruits  of  his  agency  were,  in  all  respects, 
entirely  satisfactory,  and  there  was  not  an  hour 
when  his  withdrawal  from  the  service  would  not 
have  been  deprecated  as  a  great  loss.  And  it  is 
due  to  his  memory  to  bear  testimony  to  the  fact, 
that  while  he  was  industrious  in  efforts  to  supply 
a  needy  treasury,  he  was  himself  a  liberal  contrib- 
utor. Though  his  compensation  was  always  quite 


208  MEMOIR  OF 

limited,  yet,  by  careful  economy  and  exemplary 
self-denial,  he  regularly  spared  a  generous  portion 
of  his  salary,  and  returned  it  as  a  free-will  offering 
to  the  cause  which  he  served. 

"The  Executive  Committee  regard  his  removal 
as  a  peculiarly  afflicting  dispensation ;  and  while 
they  would  bow  submissively  to  that  sovereign 
will  which  has  transferred  him  from  his  work  to 
his  reward — from  his  sufferings  to  his  rest — they 
would  unite  in  devout  supplication  to  the  King  in 
Zion,  that  others  may  be  raised  up  to  supply  the 
breach,  who  shall  as  faithfully  demonstrate  their 
attachment  to  the  missionary  enterprise,  by  a  simi- 
lar spirit  of  love  to  Christ,  and  love  to  the  souls  of 
the  perishing  heathen." 

An  admirable  sketch  of  his  life  and  character 
was  afterwards  published  in  the  "  Missionary  Mag- 
azine," from  the  discriminating  and  eloquent  pen 
of  Prof.  John  H.  Raymond,  of  the  University  of 
Rochester.  A  most  touching  and  truthful  tribute 
to  the  memory  of  one  of  the  fathers  in  the  home- 
work of  missions,  was  thus  placed  among  the  per- 
manent records  of  the  missionary  enterprise. 


BEV.    ALFRED    BENNETT.  209 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

CHARACTER. 

JESUS,  the  Son  of  God,  though  ascended  up  into 
heaven,  and  in  His  glorified  human  nature,  adored 
by  the  innumerable  throng  of  saints  and  angels, 
is  still  present  in  the  midst  of  His  disciples  on 
earth.  Now  invested  with  all  power,  He  selects 
and  adapts  His  own  servants  for  the  distinct  po- 
sition assigned  each  in  the  work  of  the  world's 
evangelization.  He  calls  unto  Him  whom  He 
will,  directs  their  preparatory  discipline  and  in- 
struction, and  sends  them  forth  to  the  station 
where  their  work  is  appointed.  The  vast  plan  of 
human  redemption,  in  its  detail  as  well  as  its  ex- 
tent, in  its  means  as  well  as  its  ends,  is  distinctly 
sketched  before  His  infinite  mind ;  and  as  the 
world  rolls  onward  to  the  Judgment-bar,  the 
changing  epochs  and  the  varied  characters  of  its 
history  are  but  developments  of  His  government 
and  illustrations  of  His  wisdom. 

It  is  from  this  stand-point  we  would  view  the 
18* 


210  MEMOIR  OF 

man  of  God,  whose  career  has  now  been  delinea- 
ted. He  was  raised  up  for  a  peculiar  work ;  and 
we  may  properly  adore  the  wisdom  displayed  in 
the  adaptation  of  the  man  to  the  age  and  events 
amidst  which  he  was  called  to  act  But  it  is  not 
permitted  us  to  repine,  if  the  same  Unerring  Wis- 
dom selects  men  of  somewhat  modified  external 
qualities  to  carry  on  that  work,  now  at  a  more 
advanced  stage  and  progressing  under  altered  cir- 
cumstances. The  lofty  principles  which  animated 
him  are  of  eternal  excellency ;  but  the  outward 
characteristics  were  only  adventitious,  and  must 
of  necessity  alter  with  the  altered  form  of  society. 
The  hardy  pioneer,  whose  axe  rings  in  the  west- 
ern forests,  at  the  outposts  of  civilization,  might 
not,  with  the  same  external  peculiarities,  be  the 
man  to  occupy  an  influential  position  amidst  the 
generation,  whose  thronging  population  a  century 
after  shall  densely  fill  the  region,  where  now  the 
solitary  wilds  echo  the  crack  of  his  rifle,  and  the 
earth  resounds  with  the  crash  of  the  lofty  cedar 
felled  by  his  hand.  No  man  could  live  his  own 
life  over.  The  world  can  never  have  a  second 
Luther,  or  Calvin,  or  Kriox ;  the  conjunction  of 
circumstances  in  which  each  acted  can  never 
recur.  The  only  niche  in  the  temple  of  history 
fitted  for  such  a  man  is  filled.  The  building  of 


REV.    ALFRED    BENNETT.  211 

God,  in  the  progress  of  its  erection,  requires  at 
each  successive  period  a  class  of  workmen  differ- 
ing in  exterior  character  from  those  who  preceded 
them ;  and  this  doubtless  will  continue  to  be  the 
fact,  until,  beneath  the  hand  of  the  Divine  Archi- 
tect, the  magnificent  structure  rise  to  its  comple- 
tion, and  stands  in  "  the  perfection  of  beauty." 
The  servants  of  our  God  are  all,  indeed,  parta- 
kers of  the  same  grace ;  they  eat  of  the  bread  of 
life,  and  drink  of  the  heavenly  fountain.  One  in 
heart,  one  in  aim,  one  in  hope ;  they  are  gather- 
ing, under  the  guidings  of  the  one  Heavenly- 
Spirit,  into  the  common  home  of  their  Father 
and  their  Redeemer.  But  the  parts  assigned  them 
in  the  one  work  are  widely  diverse,  and  their  sta- 
tions are  fixed  at  differing  epochs  in  its  progress. 
He  who  toils  with  effective  force  in  the  quarry, 
might  not  be  adapted,  with  careful  chisel,  to  shape 
and  adjust  the  block  to  its  position  in  the  edifice  ; 
while  the  man  who  could  perform  well  the  latter 
service,  might  still  fail  in  ability  to  accomplish 
the  polisher's  work.  The  fathers  in  the  ministry 
did  nobly  the  work  of  their  generation  ;  they  are 
passing  from  their  toils  to  their  reward.  We  may 
emulate  their  godly  lives  and  holy  zeal ;  we  may 
seek  to  catch  their  elevated  spirit,  and  take  up 
their  falling  mantles.  But  we  may  not  despond, 


212  MEMOIR  OF 

or  impeach  the  wisdom  of  the  Heavenly  Builder, 
if,  in  appointing  those  who  shall  enter  into  their 
labors,  He  calls  men  of  somewhat  modified  capa- 
bilities. As  wise  master-builders,  they  laid  the 
foundation  :  others  build  thereon.  But  let  every 
man  take  heed  how  he  build  thereupon. 

The  writer  would  not  here  indulge  in  the  lan- 
guage of  indiscriminate  eulogy.  The  expressed 
wishes,  both  living  and  dying,  of  the  departed  ser- 
vant of  God,  forbid  any  tribute  to  his  memory  be- 
yond the  plainest  statement  of  facts.  It  is  proper, 
however,  that  a  brief  sketch  of  the  prominent  fea- 
tures in  his  character  should  close  these  pages. 

He  was  gifted  with  a  powerful  physical  frame, 
fitted  to  endure  great  hardship.  In  the  early 
settlement  of  Homer,  when  the  settlers  reared 
their  log  houses,  no  man  was  more  effective  at  a 
"  raising"  than  the  "  Elder,"  as  he  was  usually 
designated.  Though  his  constitution  received  sev- 
eral severe  shocks  from  sickness,  he  continued -to 
possess,  almost  to  the  last,  extraordinary  bodily 
power.  Without  this,  he  could  never  have  ac- 
complished such  an  amount  of  labor,  amidst  the 
exposures  and  privations  to  which  he  was  sub- 
jected. 

His  natural  disposition  was  buoyant  and  viva, 
cious.  He  walked  on  the  sunny  side  of  life.  His 


REV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  213 

thoughts  were  ordinarily  cheerful ;  his  manners 
frank  and  social ;  his  conversation  enlivening  and 
abounding  in  illustrative  anecdote  and  pithy  ex- 
pression, by  which  his  thoughts  would  print  them- 
selves deep  in  the  memory  of  the  hearer.  This 
cheerfulness  of  spirit  contributed  much  to  his 
health  and  vigor.  Obstacles  could  not  daunt  him: 
care  did  not  crush  him. 

Unceasing  activity  was  one  of  his  chief  charac- 
teristics. When  a  pastor,  besides  the  ordinary 
duties  of  the  Sabbath,  he  was  accustomed  during 
the  week  to  preach  in  different  neighborhoods, 
wherever  a  congregation  could  be  collected ;  and 
his  earnest  labors  in  the  school-houses  for  miles 
around  are  still  remembered  by  many  living. 
"  Better  wear  out  than  rust  out,"  was  his  common 
inotto.  In  his  agency  he  was  restless  in  the  pros- 
ecution of  the  work  before  him.  The  amount  of 
labor  performed  was  immense.  His  plans  were 
commonly  laid  with  great  precision,  and  it  was 
rarel}'  the  time  for  their  execution  exceeded  that 
which  he  had  assigned.  And  often,  while  others 
were  considering  the  obstacles  and  calculating  the 
consequences,  his  energy  had  already  accomplish- 
ed the  work.  On  his  dying  bed,  reviewing  the 
scenes  of  his  active  life,  he  said,  when  referring 
to  some  who  had  blamed  him  for  what  had  seem- 


MEMOIR   OF 

ed  to  them  over-exertion  :  "  I  am  not  sorry  I  have 
tried  to  work  for  Jesus,  but  I  wish  I  had  done  a 
great  deal  more" 

As  a  citizen,  he  was  distinguished  by  an  emi- 
nently public  spirit.  Though  never  allowing  him- 
self to  be  associated  with  political  movements, 
except  on  one  occasion,  which  he  ever  regretted,* 
he  took  a  deep  interest  in  passing  events  as  affect- 
ing the  welfare  of  our  country.  The  prosperity  of 
his  own  village  especially  lay  near  his  heart.  And 
though  in  later  life  called  to  visit  nearly  all  parts 
of  the  Union,  be  always  returned  with  apparently 
increased  affection  to  the  scene  of  his  earlier  min- 
istry. ~No  man  loved  Homer  more.  As  a  trustee 
of  the  Academy,  he  was  warmly  interested  in  the 
promotion  of  its  welfare  ;  and  it  is  not  too  much  to 
remark  that  the  noble  institution  there  located  has 
found  no  warmer  advocate  of  its  character  abroad, 


*  He  was  a  candidate  for  the  convention  to  revise  the  Consti- 
tution of  the  State  of  New  York,  in  1821,  but  the  party  nomina- 
ting him  was  in  the  minority.  He  was  defeated.  He  allowed 
his  name  to  be  used  by  advice  of  his  brethren  in  the  ministry, 
and  others  whose  judgment  he  esteemed  ;  but  though  it  seems 
in  no  respect  to  have  injured  his  ministerial  character  and  useful- 
ness, maturer  reflection  led  him  always  to  regard  it  as  a  mistaken 
step.  His  successful  competitor  was  Samuel  Nelson,  now  Judge 
in  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States. 


REV;  ALFRED    BENNETT.  215 

*nd  perhaps  to  no  single  citizen,  if  we  except  the 
gentlemen  who  compose  its  excellent  faculty  of 
instruction,  is  it  more  largely  indebted  for  its  wide 
reputation  in  this  and  other  States. 

He  was  a  liberal  man.  At  the  close  of  his 
pastoral  labors,  he  found  himself  worth,  by  the 
rise  which  had  taken  place  in  the  value  of  prop- 
erty, about  two  thousand  dollars ;  and  it  was  his 
settled  principle  never  to  accumulate  more  than 
this.  His  salary  when  pastor  never  exceeded  four 
hundred  dollars  ;  during  the  larger  part  of  the 
time,  it  was  only  three  hundred,  and  a  portion  of 
this  was  ordinarily  paid  in  produce.  He  gave 
largely  to  objects  of  benevolence,  and  the  needy 
always  found  in  him  a  sympathizing  heart  and  a 
ready  hand  to  help.  For  the  support  of  public 
worship  in  the  church  of  which  he  was  a  member, 
he  was  one  of  the  largest  contributors.  The  com- 
modious lecture-room  connected  with  their  house 
of  worship  was  erected  exclusively  at  his  ex- 
pense, and  by  him  presented  to  the  society.  The 
tours  he  took  in  his  agency  usually  cost  the  Mis- 
sionary Union  nothing,  as  he  defrayed  his  own 
travelling  expenses  ;  and  a  large  sum  was  annu- 
ally contributed  from  his  salary,  in  addition,  to 
support  that  sacred  cause  for  which  his  voice  was 
ever  pleading.  There  was  a  large-heartedness  in 


216  MEMOIR   OF 

all  his  pecuniary  transactions,  which  evinced  al- 
ways the  slight  estimate  he  put  upon  the  wealth 
of  this  world  when  compared  with  treasures  laid 
up  in  heaven. 

Integrity  was  a  marked  trait  in  him.  He  did 
nothing  in  the  dark ;  his  nature  was  frank  and 
open.  A  blunt  honesty  distinguished  his  manner, 
and  so  transparent  was  his  life,  that  even  the  sus- 
picion of  misdealing  could  never  fasten  itself  upon 
him.  There  was  that  in  his  countenance  and  air 
• — a  godly  sincerity,  devoid  of  all  art  and  mystery 
— which  bespoke  your  confidence  and  command- 
ed your  respect.  His  was  not  an  intriguing  spirit, 
acting  under  a  mask  and  seeking  sinister  ends ;  but 
with  a  face  open  as  the  day,  and  with  a  heart  out- 
spoken in  words  of  unmistakable  import,  he  pursued 
with  clear  and  steady  view  the  noblest  objects.  Here- 
in, doubtless,  was  a  main  element  of  his  power. 
It  was  a  common  remark  with  the  ungodly  at  his 
death,  "Whatever  may  be  true  of  other  Christians, 
Tie  was  a  good  man."  Men  who  seldom  attended  the 
services  of  any  sanctuary,  would  go  when  he  was 
announced  as  the  preacher,  saying,  they  liked  to 
hear  Father  Bennett  preach,  because  they  thought 
he  believed  what  he  said.  And  to  the  last,  few 
men  were  able  to  command  so  large  a  congrega- 
tion in  Homer  as  the  earliest  and  revered  pastor. 


EEV.   ALFBED   BENNETT.  217 

He  was  much  sought  as  a  counsellor.  The 
younger  pastors  were  wont  for  many  years,  in  his 
later  life,  to  seek  his  advice  as  that  of  a  father. 
Churches  often  asked  his  counsel  in  cases  of  diffi- 
culty, and  in  the  settlement  of  ministers.  In  the 
appointment  of  agents,  the  Executive  Committee 
relied  much  upon  his  judgment.  He  became  ear- 
ly a  member  of  the  Foreign  Mission  Board,  in 
which  office  he  continued  until  death.  He  was 
officially  connected  as  an  adviser  in  most  of  the 
benevolent  institutions  of  the  Baptist  denomina- 
tion. At  his  decease,  he  was  President  of  the 
New  York  Baptist  State  Convention,  and  first 
Vice-President  of  the  New  York  Baptist  Union 
for  Ministerial  Education. 

His  views  of  the  agency  were  pure  and  eleva- 
ted. He  regarded  the  office  of  agents  as  essential 
to  the  progress  of  the  missionary  enterprise.  In 
a  letter  addressed  to  Rev.  Edward  Bright,  Home 
Secretary,  April  12,  1850,  he  says  : 

"  In  alt  my  acquaintance  with  pastors,  church- 
es, and  their  collections  with  and  without  an 
agent,  for  almost  eighteen  years,  I  am  convinced 
that  travelling  agents  are  indispensable  to  suc- 
cess, if  much  is  expected  to  be  gathered.  There 
are  pastors  who  do  not  need  assistance,  and 
would  do  well  if  no  agent  was  in  the  field,  some 
19 


218  MEMOIR   OF 

of  whom,  however,  are  always  glad  to  have  an 
agent  call  on  them,  as  it  renders  their  labors 
lighter.  There  are  good  people,  also,  who  would 
live  religion  faithfully,  if  there  were  no  ministers 
to  preach  the  Gospel,  who  are  still  very  glad  to 
enjoy  the  ministrations  of  the  Word,  because  it 
strengthens  them.  I  deliberately  think  that 
agents  are  about  as  necessary  to  success  in  benev- 
olent enterprises,  as  preachers  are  in  church 
building.  JBut  they  must  be  good  men.  An  in- 
different man  will  do  more  hurt  than  good.  The 
reason  why  we  cannot  obtain  more  first-rate  men 
as  travelling  agents,  is  because  there  is  not  conse- 
cration enough  to  the  service  of  God.  Jesus 
Christ  went  about.  Paul  travelled  night  and  day, 
and  labored  in  the  temple,  in  the  deep,  in  the 
wilderness,  in  the  city,  and  in  the  country." 

The  collection  of  funds  was  always  with  him  a 
secondary  object.  Speaking  of  agents  as  often 
estimated  by  the  number  of  dollars  and  cents 
they  collect,  he  said  :  "  That  was  never  my  jvrst 
object,  but  to  promote  a  religious  principle,  and 
instruct  the  churches  in  their  obligation  to  keep 
the  commands  of  Christ,  especially  to  carry  out 
the  great  commission.  I  have  ever  considered 
myself  rather  as  a  pioneer,  to  break  ground  and 
put  in  the  seed  for  others  to  harvest  from ;  and  if, 


BEV.   ALFRED  BENNETT.  219 

after  I  am  dead,  some  good  does  not  result  from 
my  labors,  it  will  be  apparent  that  I  have  failed 
to  accomplish  what  I  intended."  With  a  fixed 
adherence  to  this  exalted  view  of  his  work,  he 
never  sought  to  create  a  temporary  excitement, 
by  appeals  to  the  passions,  for  the  sake  of  a  large 
collection;  but  his  object  was  to  inspire  and 
strengthen  the  principles  of  benevolent  action, 
from  the  high  and  holy  motives  furnished  in  the 
Gospel.  Each  visit  to  the  churches,  thus  con- 
ducted, prepared  the  way  for  a  heartier  welcome 
and  more  generous  contribution  on  his  return. 

His  character  as  a  Christian  was  marked  by 
fixedness  of  principle.  His  was  no  hot-house 
piety,  which  flourished  only  in  the  heat  of  a  revi- 
val, but  withered  and  died  in  the  bleak  atmos- 
phere and  chilling  blasts  of  a  spiritual  winter ; 
but  you  saw  it  as  a  true  plant  of  Heaven,  planted 
by  our  Heavenly  Father,  growing  and  blooming 
at  all  seasons.  He  always  insisted  that  the  dis- 
charge of  Christian  duties  ought  not  to  be  affect- 
ed by  the  fluctuation  of  mere  personal  feelings, 
but  be  guided  by  fixed  religious  principle ;  and 
his  own  earnest,  energetic  life  was  a  striking  ex- 
emplification of  his  teaching.  For  more  than 
fifty  years,  from  that  solemn  hour  when  he  pub- 
licly dedicated  himself  to  Christ,  till  he  left  the 


218  MEMOIR  OF 

of  whom,  however,  are  always  glad  to  have  an 
agent  call  on  them,  as  it  renders  their  labors 
lighter.  There  are  good  people,  also,  who  would 
live  religion  faithfully,  if  there  were  no  ministers 
to  preach  the  Gospel,  who  are  still  very  glad  to 
enjoy  the  ministrations  of  the  Word,  because  it 
strengthens  them.  I  deliberately  think  that 
agents  are  about  as  necessary  to  success  in  benev- 
olent enterprises,  as  preachers  are  in  church 
building.  But  they  must  be  good  men.  An  in- 
different man  will  do  more  hurt  than  good.  The 
reason  why  we  cannot  obtain  more  first-rate  men 
as  travelling  agents,  is  because  there  is  not  conse- 
cration enough  to  the  service  of  God.  Jesus 
Christ  went  about.  Paul  travelled  night  and  day, 
and  labored  in  the  temple,  in  the  deep,  in  the 
wilderness,  in  the  city,  and  in  the  country." 

The  collection  of  funds  was  always  with  him  a 
secondary  object.  Speaking  of  agents  as  often 
estimated  by  the  number  of  dollars  and  cents 
they  collect,  he  said  :  "  That  was  never  my  first 
object,  but  to  promote  a  religious  principle,  and 
instruct  the  churches  in  their  obligation  to  keep 
the  commands  of  Christ,  especially  to  carry  out 
the  great  commission.  I  have  ever  considered 
myself  rather  as  a  pioneer,  to  break  ground  and 
put  in  the  seed  for  others  to  harvest  from ;  and  if, 


REV.   ALFRED  BENNETT.  219 

after  I  am  dead,  some  good  does  not  result  from 
my  labors,  it  will  be  apparent  that  I  have  failed 
to  accomplish  what  I  intended."  With  a  fixed 
adherence  to  this  exalted  view  of  his  work,  he 
never  sought  to  create  a  temporary  excitement, 
by  appeals  to  the  passions,  for  the  sake  of  a  large 
collection;  but  his  object  was  to  inspire  and 
strengthen  the  principles  of  benevolent  action, 
from  the  high  and  holy  motives  furnished  in  the 
Gospel.  Each  visit  to  the  churches,  thus  con- 
ducted, prepared  the  way  for  a  heartier  welcome 
and  more  generous  contribution  on  his  return. 

His  character  as  a  Christian  was  marke4  by 
fixedness  of  principle.  His  was  no  hot-house 
piety,  which  flourished  only  in  the  heat  of  a  revi- 
val, but  withered  and  died  in  the  bleak  atmos- 
phere and  chilling  blasts  of  a  spiritual  winter ; 
but  you  saw  it  as  a  true  plant  of  Heaven,  planted 
by  our  Heavenly  Father,  growing  and  blooming 
at  all  seasons.  He  always  insisted  that  the  dis- 
charge of  Christian  duties  ought  not  to  be  affect- 
ed by  the  fluctuation  of  mere  personal  feelings, 
but  be  guided  by  fixed  religious  principle ;  and 
his  own  earnest,  energetic  life  was  a  striking  ex- 
emplification of  his  teaching.  For  more  than 
fifty  years,  from  that  solemn  hour  when  he  pub- 
licly dedicated  himself  to  Christ,  till  he  left  the 


220  MEMOIB  OF 

world,  through  sunshine  and  storm,  his  Christian 
career  was  one  of  steady  progress,  and  his  Chris- 
tian character  unstained  by  any  serious  blot. 
Many  instances  of  his  faithfulness  are  related, 
which  illustrate  the  remark  of  the  wise  man,  A 
word  spoken  in  due  season^  how  good  it  is!  One 
recently  reported  may  perhaps  be  properly  men- 
tioned here,  as  an  example  of  many.  In  a  West- 
ern city,  a  friend  took  him  to  a  Daguerreotype  es- 
tablishment, to  obtain  his  likeness.  As  he  was 
passing  from  the  room,  a  young  man  who  had 
performed  the  work,  looking  at  him,  remarked 
that  he  had  impressed  an  exact  image  of  the 
original.  Mr.  Bennett,  laying  his  hand  upon  his 
shoulder,  replied,  "  True,  and  may  the  Saviour's 
image  be  impressed  on  your  heart !"  The  re- 
mark was  forgotten  by  him  who  uttered  it.  But 
on  returning  to  that  city,  a  few  weeks  after,  hav- 
ing occasion  to  visit  again  the  establishment,  he 
found  the  young  man  rejoicing  in  hope.  That 
word  had  proved  the  arrow  of  conviction  to  his 
soul. 

There  was,  also,  a  simplicity  of  faith  in  God, 
which  preserved  him  from  desponding  in  regard 
to  the  cause  of  Christ.  Though  during  his  earlier 
years  subjected  to  painful  fear  respecting  his  per- 
sonal salvation,  he  never  doubted  the  safety  of  the 


REV.   ALFEED   BENNETT.  221 

church.  It  was  a  common  remark  with  him :  "  I 
have  no  doubt  that  all  the  saints  will  finally  reach 
Heaven  ;  for  that  is  revealed  in  the  "Word  of  God. 
But  I  find  no  statement  in  it  that  Alfred  Bennett 
will  get  there.  He  that  overcometh  shall  inherit 
all  things"  In  the  seasons  of  affliction  through 
which  the  church  in  Homer  passed,  as  well  as  in 
the  darker  providential  dispensations  which  at- 
tended the  missionary  enterprise,  his  voice  was 
always  heard  in  tones  of  cheerful  hope.  There 
was  a  simple-hearted  dependence  upon  God,  which 
at  such  times  banished  despair  from  his  own  bosom, 
and  seemed  to  inspire  courage  and  confidence  in 
those  associated  with  him. 

To  learning  he  made  no  pretensions.  The  lack 
of  a  thorough  course  of  mental  training  for  the 
ministry  was  always  to  him  a  matter  of  deep  re- 
gret. His  vigorous  intellect,  however,  and  strong 
powers  of  observation,  made  much  compensation 
for  this  defect;  and  his  extended  general  knowl- 
edge, attained  rather  from  intercourse  with  men 
than  from  books,  enriched  all  his  communications, 
and  gave  great  value  to  his  counsels.  A  painful 
sense  of  his  own  deficiencies  in  literary  culture, 
made  him  for  many  years  past  an  ardent  friend  of 
the  cause  of  education,  especially  as  connected 
with  the  preparation  of  the  youthful  ministry. 
19* 


222  MEMOIR  OF 

His  theological  tendencies  were  Calvinistic ; 
though  he  always  preferred  that  his  view  of  the 
Gospel  should  not  receive  its  designation  from  any 
name  of  man.  He  loved  "  the  old  paths ;"  the 
doctrines  of  grace  were  so  intimately  interwoven 
with  his  religious  experience,  that  he  spoke  of 
them  as  "  out  of  the  abundance  of  the  heart."  He 
wielded  these  ponderous  weapons  of  the  Gospel 
with  singular  power.  On  the  subject  of  the  Atone- 
ment, he  inclined  strongly  to  the  views  of  Andrew 
Fuller,  whose  works  were  always  with  him  a 
favorite  study.  Among  the  theological  books  in 
his  library,  which  appear  to  have  been  most  used, 
may  be  mentioned  the  works  of  Isaac  Backus, 
Scott,  Bunyan,  Edwards,  and  Dr.  Hawker,  with 
Hervey's  Dialogues,  and  Buchanan's  Missionary 
Treatises ;  some  of  which  have  now  ceased  to 
attract  the  attention  of  the  religious  public.  But 
his  chief  text-book  in  theology  was  the  Bible.  In 
the  closet  or  the  fields,  at  the  fireside  or  on  the 
journey,  this  was  his  constant  companion;  and  few 
men  have  become  more  familiar  with  its  letter,  or 
more  thoroughly  imbued  with  its  elevated  spirit. 

He  was  a  decided  Baptist.  The  distinctive  prin- 
ciples of  his  denomination,  he  regarded  as  consti- 
tuting an  important  part  of  the  Gospel,  and  essen- 
tial to  the  ultimate  triumph  of  Christianity  in  the 


REV.   ALFRED   BENNETT.  223 

world.  He  had  no  fellowship  for  that  sickly, 
sentimental  liberalism,  which,  for  the  sake  of  a 
seeming  peace,  would  modify  or  even  forsake  fun- 
damental principles  of  the  Gospel.  The  tendency, 
now  so  widely  prevalent,  to  clip-  and  shorten  our 
creed,  for  the  alleged  sake  of  union,  met  no  favor 
at  his  hands.  He  admired  and  loved  a  decided, 
conscientious  man,  who  believes  his  religious  faith 
based  on  the  Bible,  and  reverences  it  as  the  truth 
of  God ;  and  however  far  such  an  one  might  dif- 
fer in  conviction  from  him,  he  was  ready  to  accord 
to  him  the  honor  of  integrity.  But  of  the  com- 
promising trifler  in  things  sacred,  who  seeks  to 
please  men  rather  than  God,  and  is  ready  to  barter 
his  convictions  and  sacrifice  truth,  for  the  sake  of 
making  his  platform  square  with  another's,  he  was 
not  over  tolerant,  and  his  rebukes  would  commonly 
be  pointed  and  strong.  Yet  none  could  properly 
charge  him  with  bigotry.  The  right  of  private 
judgment  which  he  claimed  for  himself,  he  cheer- 
fully conceded  to  others,  and  ever  maintained  the 
most  fraternal  intercourse  with  Christian  brethren 
of  other  names.  During  the  earlier  years  of  his 
ministry  in  Homer,  Christians  of  the  different  de- 
nominations were  accustomed  to  assemble  together 
for  social  worship ;  and  in  many  precious  seasons 
of  revival  enjoyed  there,  some  of  his  choicest  co- 


224  MEMOIR  OF 

laborers,  for  whom  he  always  retained  the  wannest 
affection,  were  members  of  the  Congregational 
Church — many  of  whom  ascended  before  him,  but 
some  of  them  remain  unto  this  day. 

He  had  extraordinary  fervor  and  power  in 
prayer.  Though  never  irreverent  in  his  addresses 
before  the  Throne,  he  spoke  as  one  accustomed  to 
hold  communion  with  God ;  and  none  who  listened 
to  his  petitions  in  public  could  doubt  that  he  en- 
joyed richly  the  devotions  of  the  closet.  His  heart 
readily  entered  into  sympathy  with  the  immediate 
circumstances  around  him,  and  the  wants  and  in- 
terests then  pressing  he  spread  out  in  simple,  fer- 
vent language,  and  often  with  overflowing  emotion. 
Few  could  remain  inattentive  during  his  public 
prayer :  its  adaptation  and  earnestness  made  that 
exercise,  which  to  many  is  the  most  difficult  ser- 
vice of  the  sanctuary,  one  of  much  interest,  and 
not  unfrequently  of  deep  feeling.  It  is  related, 
that,  at  the  designation  of  Rev.  J.  Wade  to  the 
Burman  Mission,  in  1823,  the  services  of  which 
were  held  at  Utica,  Mr.  Bennett  was  called  to 
offer  the  prayer.  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  seemed 
to  come  upon  him ;  the  auditors  were  borne  with 
him  in  spirit,  as  if  into  the  presence  of  the  Throne ; 
and  such  was  the  holy  earnestness  with  which  he 
commended  the  departing  missionaries  to  God, 


REV.   ALFRED  BENNETT.  225 

that  all  present  seemed  to  feel  an  assurance  of  their 
protection.  A  gentleman  present  remarked  that 
he  would  insure,  at  half  the  usual  rates,  the  vessel 
that  bore  them ;  for  it  could  not  be  lost  while  they 
were  on  board.  This  prayer  is  still  remembered 
with  great  interest  by  many  who  were  then  pres- 
ent. At  the  services  at  Philadelphia,  in  1829, 
when  his  son  Cephas  was  publicly  set  apart  as 
missionary  to  Burmah,  it  was  the  father's  lot  to 
offer  the  prayer  of  consecration.  A  similar  Divine 
influence  seems  to  have  been  manifest  on  this 
occasion.  In  the  record  of  the  proceedings,  pre- 
served in  the  public  papers  of  that  day,  it  is  said : 
Mr.  Cephas  Bennett  "  was  then  committed,  with 
his  companion,  by  Alfred  Bennett,  his  father,  in 
an  appeal  to  God  most  solemn  and  affecting,  melt- 
ing every  heart  and  drawing  tears  from  every  eye. 
This  part  of  the  scene  was  of  too  intense  a  charac- 
ter for  description  either  by  the  tongue  or  the  pen." 
These  effects  were  not  produced  by  studied  pre- 
arrangement,  but  it  was  the  spontaneous  outgush- 
ing  of  a  capacious  soul,  in  ardent  sympathy  with 
the  interests  of  the  occasion,  accustomed  to  give 
expression  to  its  inmost  emotions  at  the  Mercy- 
Seat,  and  pervaded  by  holy  influence  from  on  high. 
Here  undoubtedly  was  one  of  the  chief  sources  of 
his  strength.  He  had  power  with  God ;  and  the 


226  MEMOIR   OF 

conviction  of  this,  everywhere  felt,  gave  him  also 
power  with  men. 

As  a  preacher,  he  was  -one  of  a  class  whose  de- 
pendence on  the  aid  of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  habit- 
ual and  heartfelt.  "  Utterance"  was  sought  from 
God  as  a  matter  of  high  practical  moment ;  and  if 
he  was  not  "in  the  spirit"  while  speaking,  no 
amount  of  premeditation  could  supply  the  lack. 
This  calamity,  as  he  ever  deemed  it,  sometimes 
befel  him  :  it  seemed  to  paralyze  his  mental  pow- 
ers, and  put  him  to  utter  confusion.  On  some  oc- 
casions of  special  public  interest,  he  thus  suffered 
from  spiritual  desertion,  and,  after  ineffectually  en- 
deavoring to  unfold  his  subject,  entirely  failed  to 
present  the  intended  view,  and  sat  down  not  a  little 
confused  and  mortified.  Ordinarily,  however,  he 
was  "  full  of  faith  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  and  spoke 
the  word  with  power.  In  seasons  of  revival,  or  on 
public  occasions  of  absorbing  religious  interest,  he 
would  often  speak  as  if  in  the  presence  of  God, 
with  an  overflowing  heart  and  heavenly  fervor, 
and  his  auditory,  borne  with  the  powerful  current 
of  his  emotions,  would  be  melted  to  tears  under 
the  affecting  exhibitions  he  gave  of  the  Gospel. 
His  resources  were  at  ready  command ;  and  prob- 
ably some  of  the  most  powerful  of  his  public  ef- 
forts were  made  when  unexpectedly  summoned  to 


REV.    ALFRED    BENNETT.  227 

preach.     This  sent  him  upon  his  knees,  and  called 
into  action  all  the  powers  of  his  soul. 

In  his  ordinary  ministration  he  was  eminently 
simple  and  evangelical.  His  discourses,  though 
not  marked  by  the  grace  and  finish  of  scholarship, 
and,  often  from  necessity,  slightly  studied,  bore 
the  evidence  of  much  biblical  knowledge  and 
strong  practical  sense.  They  were  the  outgush- 
ings  of  a  glowing  heart  and  a  rich  religious  expe- 
rience ;  and  few  ever  heard  him,  in  even  his  most 
unstudied  efforts,  without  gaining  some  new  con- 
ceptions of  divine  truth.  There  was  a  fervor  and 
holy  unction  attending  his  preaching,  which  often 
woke  the  slumbering  conscience  and  touched  the 
heart,  when  lofty  speculation  and  mere  logical  de- 
duction could  have  effected  nothing ;  and  the  ear- 
nestness of  his  appeals  forced  the  conviction  upon 
you  that  he  felt  the  value  of  the  undying  soul,  and 
dwelt  in  near  prospect  of  the  realities  of  judgment 
and  eternity.  Tip  to  his  death,  there  were  few 
public  men  in  his  denomination  who  possessed 
more  power  to  command  the  attention  and  awaken 
the  holier  feelings  of  the  heart  among  all  classes. 
Others  there  were  whose  learning  was  more  varied 
and  profound,  whose  diction  had  more  of  polish, 
and  whose  arguments  were  arranged  with  more  of 
logical  exactness;  but  few,  if  any,  had  greater 


228  MEMOIR   OF 

power  to  move  the  hearts  of  the  masses,  and  ani- 
mate the  church  of  God  to  high  and  holy  exer- 
tion. 

It  is  chiefly,  however,  in  the  character  of  a  de- 
voted friend  and  advocate  of  missions  he  has  been 
distinguished  in  public  life.  He  took  enlarged 
and  comprehensive  views  of  the  design  of  the 
Gospel.  The  world  stretched  out  before  him  with 
its  wants  and  woes,  and  all  the  sympathies  and 
energies  of  his  capacious  soul  were  enlisted  in  the 
work  of  diffusing  abroad  God's  great  remedy.  On 
his  dying  bed,  the  conversation  once  turned  on 
the  prospects  just  opening  before  him  in  the  eter- 
nal world  ;  and  his  pastor,  speaking  of  the  reunion 
of  saints  in  the  presence  of  Christ,  alluded  to  some 
with  whom  he  had  been  familiar,  and  who  had 
entered  into  rest  before  him.  He  replied  :  "  I  do 
not  know  that  I  anticipate  greater  pleasure  in  meet- 
ing them  than  in  mingling  with  redeemed  spirits  of 
converted  heathen,  for  whom  I  have  labored,  and 
•whose  eternal  welfare  I  have  sought."  His  prayers, 
as  well  as  his  heartiest  toils,  ever  contemplated  the 
general  diffusion  of  the  religion  of  Christ  over  the 
whole  world.  And  at  the  last,  the  spiritual  inter- 
ests of  the  perishing  millions  of  earth  lay  near  his 
soul,  and  the  long  predicted  glories  of  that  ap- 


REV.   ALFRED  BENKETT.  229 

preaching  day,  when  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord 
shall  fill  the  whole  earth,  were  among  the  latest 
thoughts  he  breathed,  and  seemed  to  fill  his  mind 
with  holy  delight. 

But  I  will  here  pause.  He  has  gone  from  earth 
and  entered  the  presence  of  God.  His  venerable 
form  lies  cold  in  the  grave,  and  the  emancipated 
spirit,  we  trust,  rejoices  before  the  Throne.  But, 
though  dead,  he  yet  speaketh.  Defects,  no  doubt, 
he  had,  and  none  were  more  painfully  sensible  of 
it  than  himself;  but  a  consistent  Christian  life  of 
half  a  century,  unstained  by  one  dishonorable  blot, 
spent  with  all  the  ardor  of  a  powerful  mind  in  self- 
denying  energetic  eifort  for  the  welfare  of  others, 
and  closed  in  peaceful  triumph,  has  a  voice  full  of 
instruction.  It  speaks  of  the  power  of  the  Gospel 
to  subdue  and  sanctify  the  strongest  natural  pas- 
sions, and  devote  them  to  the  holy  work  of  blessing 
a  perishing  world.  It  utters  the  high  praises  of 
the  grace  of  God,  in  reclaiming  and  pardoning  one 
who  was  once  in  bitter  enmity  with  Him,  and 
keeping  him  through  strong  temptations  and  fear- 
ful conflicts  safe  unto  the  end.  It  bids  us  be  fol- 
lowers of  Him  as  he  followed  Christ,  ever  toiling, 
ever  trusting,  assured  that  Christian  faithfulness 
is  the  certain  precursor  of  Christian  triumph. 
20 


230  MEMOIR  OF 

The  memory  of  "  Father  Bennett"  will  linger 
long  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  of  God.  Asso- 
ciated with  hallowed  recollections  of  the  venerated 
Kendrick  and  Peck,  and  others  of  kindred  spirit, 
his  name  will  be  transmitted  to  after  times  as  one 
of  the  pioneers  of  the  Gospel,  and  a  stalwart  de- 
fender of  the  truth  of  God.  The  sound  practical 
wisdom,  the  effectual  fervent  prayer,  the  holy 
character,  and  earnest  zeal  of  these  godly  men 
were  a  tower  of  strength  in  the  midst  of  the  de- 
nomination, and  as  one  after  another  of  them  has 
parted  from  us  and  gone  up  into  glory,  the  cry 
has  risen  from  the  bereaved  heart  of  the  earthly 
church :  My  Father,  my  Father,  the  chariot  of 
Israel  and  the  horsemen  thereof!  They  were 
among  the  earlier  prophets  of  our  people ; 

"holy  men, 
Who  lived  and  walked  with  God ;" 

and  their  power  before  the  Throne,  their  heaven* 
directed  counsels,  and  their  mighty  deeds  are  re- 
corded, not  so  much  on  the  written  page  as  upon 
the  moral  enterprises  they  originated,  the  sacred 
institutions  they  founded  and  reared,  and  in  the 
hearts  of  the  people  of  God.  When  the  scroll  of 


REV.    ALFRED   BENNETT.  231 

history,  as  written  in  heaven,  shall  be  unrolled 
before  the  assembled  world  in  the  day  of  final  ad- 
judication, these  servants  of  God  will  doubtless  be 
seen  conspicuous  among  the  eminent  witnesses  for 
the  truth  and  actors  in  the  moral  scenes  of  the  past 
generation. 


THE   END. 


CATALOGUE 


0    0    K    S, 


PUBLISHED 


JJTD 


FOR  SALE  TO  THE  TRADE,  OR  AT  RETAIL, 


EDWARD    H.    FLETCHER, 

141  NASSAU  STREET, 

NEW  YORK. 

1852. 


EDWARD  H.  FLETCHER, 
141  NASSAU-SIR  T, 


Keens  -distantly  on  hand  a  complete  assortment  of  RELIGIOUS 
AND  MISCELLANEOUS 


which  are  sold  at  very  low  prices. 
A  ueiuion  is  particularly  requested  to  the  following  list  of 


Sinjmrtant  ^nhlirntinns. 


ALEXANDER,  J.  W.—  The  Tomtg  Men  of  Cities  vrged  to  tk* 
uo/k  of  Mental  Improvement. 

OARSON,  L.  L.  D.,  Alexander,  The  Life  of,  by  Rev.  Gee.  C. 
Moore.     "  The  Jonathan  Edwards  of  the  19th  century." 

•«        "        The  Knowledge  of  Jen*  the  vtott  excellent  of  tht  Sci- 

ences. 
"A  charming  book,  nod  we  could  with  it  were  in  every 

ChrUliau  family."  Lutheran  Obstrrer. 

"  A  book  of  vigorous  thought,  worthy  of  careful  study." 

Rel.  Herald. 
"  Would  do  honor  to  any  pen  that  ever  wrote." 

Troy  Budget. 
"        ••         The  God  of  Providence.    (In  press.) 

CONVERSATIONAL  COMMENTARY  on  Matthew,  John 
and  tie  Aclt.     I'.y  Win.  Hague,  D.  D. 

COBBIN,  Ingrnm.    The  Illustrated  Domestic  Bible. 

CHEEVERj  D.  D.,  Geo.  B.—  A  Flea  for  Children  and  tht  Ohrii- 

(>an  tabliatk. 

DOWLlJNOr,  D.  D.,  John.—  A  Collection  of  Hymns  for  use  in  con- 
ference and  prayer  meetings. 

«•        "         The   Old-Fothiontd  Bible,  or  ten  reasons  against  the 
proposed  Baptist  version  of  the  New  Testament. 


EVERTS,  Wm.  W.-TA*  Life  and  Thoughts  of  John  Foster. 
u        "        The  Social  Position  and  Influence  of  Oitiei. 
u        "        The  Theatre. 

POSTER,  John.— The  Spirit  of  Missions,  with  an  Essay  by  Rev. 
J.  P.  Thompson,  pastor  of  the  Broadway  Tabernacle  Church. 

HEAVEN'S  ANTIDOTE  to  the  Curse  of  Labor,  a  prize  essay 
on  the  Sabbath. 

HARRIS,  Mrs.  S.  M.— Memoir  of  Jacob  Thomai,  missionary  to 
A  Mam. 

HAGUE,  D.  D.,Wm.,  Conversational  Commentary  on  Matthew, 
John  and  the  Acts. 

"       "        The  Duties  of  Employer*  and  Employed. 
MOORE,  Geo.  C. — Life  of  Alexander  Carson,  LL.  D. 
MATTISON,  H. — The  Trinity  and  Modern  Arianism. 

PAINE,  Martyn.— The  Soul,  Instinct  and  Life,  physiologically 
distinguished  from  Materialism. 

SABBATH  ESSAYS;  comprisin?  the  Pearl  of  Days,  Heaven's 
Antidote,  and  the  Light  of  the  Week. 

THE  GOD  OP  PROVIDENCE,  the  Qod  of  the  Bible;  by 
Alex.  Carson. 

THE  PEARL  OP  DAYS,  by  a  Laborer's  Daughter. 

THE  LIGHT  OP  THE  WEEK,  or  the  Advantages  of  the 
Sabbath  to  the  Working  Classes.  A  prize  Essay. 

WILLIAMS,  D.  D.,  Wm.  R.,  Miscellanies ;  consisting  of  Dis« 
courses  and  Essays.  This  volume  contains  the  most  elaborate 
and  finished  of  Dr.  Williams'  productions. 

"A  volume  which  is  absolutely  ncce.-sary  to  the  completeness  of  a 
modern  library." — /V.  Y.  Weekly  Review. 

I       "  Dr.  Williams  is  a  profound  scholar  and  a  brilliant  writer." — N.Y. 
\  Evangelist. 

»  *    *    *    from  the  pen  of  one  of  the  most  able  and  accomplished 
[  authors  of  the  ape." — Bap.  Memorial. 

|       "We  are  glad  to  see  this  volume.    We  wish  that  such  men  abound- 
ed in  every  sect." — Ohn.  Register. 

"  This  volume  contains  some  of  the  choicest  emanations  of  a  mind 
of  the  highest  order." — tf.  Y.  Com.  Advertiser. 

"  This  is  one  of  the  richest  volumes  that  tins  been  given  to  the  pub 
lie  for  many  years." — N.  Y.  Bap.  Register. 

"  The  author's  mrnd  is  cast  in  no  common  mould.    *  *  a  delightful 
volume." — Methodist  Protestant. 


•HR 


"A  rich  literary  repast." — Albany  Journal. 

"His  character  |>rn<Riits  a  rare  union  of  the  highest  qualities  of 
tlie  tchoUr  and  tin-  Christian."— Olive  Branch. 

"  l>r.  W.  is  one  of  the  le.ijni"  mind*  of  our  country,  and  this  vol- 
ume one  of  the  richest  gem  of  literature." — Lime  Ruck  Gale  tie. 

WORDS  IN  EARNEST;  by  RBVS.  T.  W.  Alexander,   W.  W 
Everts,  Win.  Hague,  and  Geo.  B.  Cheever. 

S.  S.  HYMNS.— The  Baptist  S.S.  Hymn  Book. 
TURNEY,  Rev.  E.— The  Scriptural  Late  of  Bnptitm. 

NOEL.  Rev.  and  Hon.  B.  W.— Essay  on   Chritiian  Baptirm,   with 
uu  Introduction  by  John  Dowling,  I).  D. 

BELCHER.    Rev.  Joseph.— The  Baptist  Pulpit  of  the   United 
State*,  with  fine  portraits. 

FISH,  Rev.  H.  C.—The  Baptitt  Oatcckitm,  iu  two  volt. 

ARTICLES  OF  FAITH  as  generally  held  by  the  Baptitt  De- 
nomination. 

WHEELOOK,  Rev.  A — Baptism  and  the  Lord'*  Supper. 

MANLY,  Revs.  Basil   and  Basil   Jr.—  Tlie    Baptist  Ptattnody,    a 
Collection  of  Hymns  for  the  Worship  of  God. 


BLANKS. 


MARRIAGE  CERTIFICATES,  a  new  and  beautiful  article, 

with  a  silvir  border. 

Per  Quire. 
LETTERS    OF    DISMISSION    OF     CHtTRCH 

MEMBERS 50  cu. 

LETTERS   OF  NOTIFICATION   OF  RECEP- 
TION OF  MEMBERS 50  cts. 

CALLS  OF  COUNCILS 50  cu. 

ASSOCIATIONAL  LETTERS 50  eta. 


-5T: 


in  f  artist: 

OR, 

THE  PATH  OF  WISDOM  MADE  PLAIN. 

BY  REVS. 

WILLIAM  W.  EVERTS.  J.  W.  ALEXANDER, 

WILLIAM  HAGUE,  G-.  W.  ANDERSON, 

GEORGE  B.   CHEEVER. 

"  This  is  a  most  capital  work  for  young  men.  It  con- 
sists of  essays  on  the  social  position  and  influence  of  cities ; 
the  temptations  of  city  life ;  young  men  of  cities  urged  to 
the  work  of  mental  employment ;  the  theatre ;  duties  of 
employers  and  emplo)'ed ;  punishment  not  preventive ;  a 
plea  for  children ;  and  the  Sabbath." — Lutheran  Observer. 

"  These  discourses  have  been  prepared  in  view  of  the 
actual  necessities  and  dangers  of  the  times,  and  have  a  di- 
rect application  to  the  condition  of  thousands.  We  should 
be  glad  to  see  hundreds  of  copies  of  this  volume  in  the 
hands  of  our  Church  members  in  this  city;  for  we  are  per- 
suaded its  careful  and  prayerful  perusal  would  be  attended 
with  good  results  on  a  large  scale." — Central  Christian 
Herald,  Cin 

"  On  the  whole  this  is  one  of  the  most  useful  as  well  aa 
attractive  series  of  essays  which  have  fallen  under  our  no- 
tice."— Christian  News. 


COMPRISING, 

THE   HISTORY    OF    PJiOVIDENCE    AS    UNFOLDED    IN   THE 

BOOK   OF   ESTHER,  also,  THE   GOD  OF   PROVIDENCE, 

THE  GOD  OF  THK  BIBLK,  and  also,  THE  TIU'TH 

OF  THE  GOSPEL  DEMONSTRATED  FROM  THE 

CHARACTER     OF.    GOD     MANIFESTED 

IN   THE   ATONEMENT. 

BY    ALEXANDER   CARSON. 

12mo.  cloth,  PRICK,  75  cents. 

"  This  volume  contains  an  able  and  highly  interesting 
elucidation  of  the  wonderful  disclosures  of  divine  Provi- 
dence, narrated  in  the  book  of  Esther.  The  facts  re- 
corded in  that  book  reveal  the  unseen  hand  of  the  Most 
High,  directing  the  most  minute  events,  as  well  as  those 
esteemed  great,  to  accomplish  the  hallowed  purposes  of 
his  own  will.  The  work  before  us  draws  out  and  illus- 
trates this  consolatory  truth." — Chn.  Observer." 

"  We  have  already  in  former  numbers  of  the  Memo- 
rial, noticed  "  the  Life  of  Carson  "  by  Mr.  Moore,  and 
"  the  Knowledge  of  Jesus,'*  written  by  Dr.  C.  We  have 
now  the  third  volume  in  the  series,  and  we  hope  there 
will  be  many  more,  if  they  are  all  as  good  as  the  one 
before  us.  It  contains  a  clear,  cogent,  and  incontrovert- 
ible argument  in  favor  of  the  cardinal  doctrine  of  a  spe- 
cial Providence  of  God.  The  skeptic  maintains  that  all 
events  occur  in  accordance  with  the  general  laws  of 
nature:  but  Dr.  Carson  shows  conclusively,  that  even  in 
the  general  laws  of  his  government,  God  specially  super- 
intends them  so  that  particular  events  transpire  by  the 
efficiency  of  particular  agents,  and  usually  in  accordance 
•with  general  laws."— Bap.  Memorial. 


WORDS  IN  E-ARNEST: 


THE  PATH  OF  WISDOM  MADE  PLAIN 


BY   REVDS. 


WILLIAM  W.  EVERTS, 
J.  W.  ALEXANDER, 
WILLIAM  HAGUE, 
G.  W.  ANDERSON, 
GEORGE  B.  CHEEYER. 


This  work  has  been  elaborately  prepared,  and  makes  an 
excellent  book  for  young  people,  especially,  to  peruse. 


IN     PLAIN     AND     ELEGANT     BINDINGS, 

FOR    SALE    BY 

EDWARD   H,    FLETCHER, 

141  NASSAU  STREET,  NEW  YORK. 


MISCELLANIES. 

BY  WILLIAM  R.  WILLIAMS,  D  D. 

Plain  12mo,  $1  25;    do.  8vo,  $1  75;    half  morocco,  $2  25;   cloth,  full 
gilt,  $3  00;  Turkey,  full  gilt,  So  00;  do.,  claapg.  $6  00. 

COWLING'S    CONFERENCE    HYMNS. 

Plain,  25c. ;   gilt,  40c. 

THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WEEK: 

Or,  the  Advantages  of  the  Sabbath  to  the  Working  Classes. 

A    PRIZE    ESSAY. 
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PROVIDENCE    UNFOLDED. 

BY  ALEXANDER  CARSON,  LL.IX 
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LIFE  OF  ALEXANDER  CARSON,  LL.D. 

BY  REV.  GEO.  C;  MOORE. 
Plain,  60c. ;   cloth,  full  gilt,  $1  50. 

WORDS    IN    EARNEST. 

AN    EXCELLENT    WORK    FOR    THE    YOUNG. 
Plain,  75c. ;  full  gilt,  $2  00. 

MEMOIR  OF  JACOB  THOMAS,  MISSIONARY  TO  ASSAM. 

TUT.  morocco,  $2  00. 


FOSTER  ON  MISSIONS. 

WITH 

AN  ESSAY  ON  THE  SKEPTICISM  OF  THE  CHURCH. 
BY  BEV.  JOSEPH  P.  THOMPSON, 

PASTOR  OF  THE  BBOADWAY  TABERNACLE  CHUBCH. 

(From  the  New  York  Evangelist.) 

This  essay  of  Foster's  is  one  ol  the  grandest  and  most  eloquent  of  all 
his  writings,  the  reproduction  of  which,  in  this  inviting  form,  will  do 
much  good.  The  missionary  work  assumes  a  dignity  and  importance, 
Vjnder  the  glowiug  tints  of  his  masterly  pencil,  which  ought  to  shame 
the  languid  interest  of  the  church,  and  which  very  naturally  and  appro- 
priately suggests  Mr.  Thompson's  preliminary  essay  on  the  skepticism 
of  the  church.  This  essay  is  very  well  written,  and  an  impressive  pres- 
entation of  the  causes  and  effects  of  a  deficient  faith  in  the  promises  of 
God,  in  respect  to  the  world's  conversion.  The  work  is  neatly  printed, 
and  we  hope  will  find  many  readers. 

(From  tlte  New  York  Recorder.) 

This  is  the  substance  of  a  discourse  preached  by  its  celebrated  author, 
and  subsequently  prepared  by  him  for  the  press.  It  is  one  of  the  most 
Able  and  comprehensive  discussions  of  the  subject  of  missions  that  has 
ever  been  written.  It  contains  that  remarkable  fragment  of  Foster's,  en- 
titled "  God  Invisible,"  conceived  in  the  very  spirit  of  the  old  Hebrew 
prophets.  Tho  preliminary  Essay,  by  Rev.  J.  P.  Thompson,  adds  to  the 
value  of  the  original  work. 

(From  the  Baptist  Messenger.) 

John  Foster  on  Missions,  is  all  that  need  be  said.  To  say  more,  would 
•Belike  an  attempt  to  gild  the  sun. 

(From  the  Christian  Chronicle.) 

It,  is  one  of  the  grandest  productions  of  its  author,  exhibiting,  In  a  high 
degree,  the  comprehensive  grnsp  of  thought,  the  lofty  sweep  of  imagin- 
ation, and  the  rugged  and  massive  style  which  made  him  for  so  many 
years  the  acknowledged  Jupiter  Tunans  among  English  Dissenters. 

PUBLISHED    BY 

ED  WARD    IF.    FLETCHER, 

141  NASSAU  STREET,  HJSW  YORK. 


RECOMMENDATION* 

OF 

THE  KNOWLEDGE  OF  JESUS, 

BY    DR.    CARSON. 


[From  the  Primitive  Church  Magazine, 

"!N  illustrating  this  glorious  theme  the  author's 
mind  expands  in  the  lull  strength  and  vigqr  of  it»  con- 
ceptions, and  pictures  realities  of  Divine  ".rath  almost 
too  brightly  to  be  beheld  with  the  eye  of  'eitla  undim- 
med. 

<;  The  present  volume  ('  The  Knowledge  of  Jesus') 
is  lull  of  invaluable  principles,  cast  in  an  attractive 
mould.  Every  page  lives  with  interest;  there  is  no 
thing  dry,  nothing  tedious.  Its  style  flows  transparent 
and  iiree  as  the  mountain  stream." 

[From  the  Orthodox  Presbyterian,  Belfait.1 

BDITUD    BY   DR.  EDGAR. 

"  On  matters  of  church  order,  it  is  well  known  we 
differ  from  him ;  but  as  a  scholar  we  honor  him — as  a 
Christian  brother  we  embrace  him.  In  the  knowledge 
of  the  philosophy  of  the  language,  he  is  far  in  advance 
of  the  present  age  ;  and  with  respect  to  metaphysical 
acuteness  and  powers  of  reasoning,  he  has  been  called 
'  the  Jonathan  Edwards  of  the  nineteenth  century.' 
His  character  as  a  philosophic  theologian,  and  a  pro- 
found, original,  independent  thinker,  stands  in  the  very 
highest  rank  ;  and  he  is  only  justly  designated,  when 
called  one  of  the  most  philosophic  reaspners  of  the  pres- 
ort age." 

EDWARD  H,  FLETCHER,  Publisher, 

141  NASSAU  ST.,  N.  Y. 


ALEXANDER   CARSON,   LL.D, 

THE  fcSOWLBME  QF  JESUS 

The  most  Excellent  of  tho  Sciences. 
BY  ALEXANDER  CARSON,  LL.D, 

(From  the  Lutheran  Observer.) 

This  is  a  charming  booh,  find  we  could  wish  it  were  in  every  Christian 
family.  The  author  is  a  writer  of  rare  merit :  learned,  philosophic,  pro- 
found, devout,  and  singularly  fluent  and  beautiful  in  his  style.  We  take 
great  pleasure  in  recommending  it.  He  has  been  called  "the  Jonathan 
Edwnrda  of  the  nineteenth  century,"  and  those  who  read  this  admirable 
production  will  not  be  unwilling  to  admit  his  claim  to  this  distinguished 
compliment. 

(From  the  Religious  Herald,  Hartford.) 

This  is  a  book  of  rigorous  thought,  deserving  of  uttcntive  perusal  and 
onreful  study  by  ministers  snd  intelligent  laymen.  It  discusses  in  a  con- 
densed manner  the  (acts  respecting  God  and  His  government  wbic-h  are 
presented  by  nature,  und  then  pusses  to  tho  more  explicit  revelation  of 
the  liible,  and  shows  the  identification  of  the  soppel  with  the  divine  char- 
acter, as  manifested  in  the  work  of  redemption  through  the  operation  oi 
tLe  Trinity,  and  its  self-evident  truth. 

(From  tht  Watchman  and  Reflector.) 

The  late  Dr.  Alexander  Carson,  of  Ireland,  possessed  an  Intellect  of 
great  logical  power  and  a  heart  of  warm  affections.  His  works  are  hence 
characterized  by  depth  and  clearness  ol  thought,  and  by  vigor  and  fervor 
of  expression.  His  views  of  the  gospel,  as  of  the  framework  and  ordi- 
nances of  the  churcn,  nre  as  luminous  as  day.  The  present  volume  taket 
rank  among  the  best  of  the  productions  of  bis  pen. 

(From  the  Cangregationalitt.) 

Tho  work  shows  for  itself  that  it  was  written  by  a  man  of  bold  and 
strong  thought.  It  has  no  reference  to  the  distinguishing  doctrines  of 
his  own  denomination,  though  Dr.  Carson  has  some  celebrity  for  writing* 
ci  this  class. 

PUBLISHED    BY 

EDWARD    If.    FLETCHER, 

141  NASSAU  STREET,  NEW  YORK. 


THE 

LIFE  OF  ALEXANDER  CARSON,  LL.D. 

BY  REV.  GEORGE  C,  MOORE. 
OPINIONS  or  THE  PRESS. 

(From  the  Independent,  If.  T.) 

Mr.  Moore  hns  rendered  a  good  service  to  the  memory 
of  his  preceptor  by  this  sketch  of  his  private  and  inwnrd 
lif«,  find  he  has  rendered  nlso  a  service  hardly  less  valua- 
ble to  Christian  truth  and  charity. 


(From  the  Religious  Herald,  Richmond,  Fa.) 

This  is  an  interesting  work.  Indeed,  it  could  scarcely 
fnil  to  be  so,  for  its  subject  was  not  only  one  of  the  moat 
learned  and  able  theologians  of  our  own  denomination, 
but  one  of  the  great  men  of  the  present  age. 


(From  the  New  Tork  Tribune.) 

The  biography  of  that  eminent  scholar  and  divine  in  • 
•tyle  of  unusual  vivacity  and  point. 

PUBLISHED    BY 

EDWARD  H,  FLETCHER, 

141  NASSAU  STREET,  NEW  YORK 


THE 

3£  A  IP  "52  S  3  1?    IP  W  Ei  IP  E  1? 

OP    THE 

UNITED   STATES; 

COK6I8TING    OF   ELOQUENT   AND    IN6TBDCTIVB    PASSAGES    FROM 
TUB    SERMONS    OF    200    BAPTIST    MINISTERS. 

By  JOSEPH  BKL,C«:KK,  L».  D. 
EMBELLISHED  WITH  FINE  PORTRAITS. 

"THE  portraits  are  worth  more  than  the  cost  of  the  entire  work. 
It  cannot  be  otherwise  .han  gratifying  to  every  Baptist,  to  find 
that  the  leading  minds  of  his  denomination  hold  "  the  truth  as 
it  is  in  Jesus"  with  such  a  vigorous  grasp,  and  commnnd  it  to 
others  with  so  much  power.  The  passages*are  generally  bhort, 
out  they  are  pure  gold."  — Baptist  Messenger. 

"  This  publication  will,  we  think,  prove  interesting  to  Baptists 
everywhere." — Religious  Herald. 

"The  selections  cover  the  whole  range  of  theology,  and  the 
volume  will  be  curious,  agreeable  and  useful." — N.  Y.  Recorder. 

"Its  editor  is  a  man  ~>f  judgment  and  taste,  and  of  considera- 
ble distinction  as  an  author ;  and  as  it  regards  the  typography, 
nothing  better  can  be  asked  or  expected.  The  parties  have  our 
best  wishes  for  their  encouragement  and  success.  The  moral 
effect  of  the  publication  cannot  fail,  of  course,  to  be  in  favor  of 
religion  and  virtue." — Biblical  Recorder. 

EDWARI)  fl,  FLETCHER,  Publisher, 

141  NASSAU  ST.,  N.  T 


DOWLWG'S  CONFERENCE  HIMNS. 


THE  publisher  begs  leave  to  submit  a  few  of  the  many  unsolicited  re. 
Commendations  of  this  little  volume,  which  have  been  received.  It  ii 
eminently  adapted  for  use  in  the  family,  and  for  private  devotion.  The 
low  price  brings  it  within  the  means  of  all,  and  its  large  type  adapts  it  to 
the  old  as  well  as  the  young. 

A  prominent  pastor  in  Illinois  writes:  "I  received  the  copy  of  Dr. 
Bowling's  hymns,  which  you  gent  me  some  time  ago.  I  have  examined 
them  thoroughly,  and  have  shown  them  to  many  others.  The  universal 
expression  is,  'This  is  just  the  book  we  want  in  the  West.  Here  are  the 
old,  soul-cherished  revival  hymns,  which  everybody  knows,  and  with 
which  everybody  is  delighted.1  The  mixed  nature  of  our  population 
here  renders  it  difficult  to  obtain  hymn  bonks  which  all  will  like.  But 
this  little  volume  is  almost  known  to  all  by  hoart.  whether  from  (he  east, 
west,  north,  or  south.  The  hymns  are  those  which  almost  every  Chris- 
tian has  learned  and  loved ;  not  for  their  poetic  elegance,  but  for  their 
spirit  and  good  religious  sentiment.  I  have  also  taken  pains  to  obtain 
copies  of  the  Social  Psalmist,  the  Christian  Melodist  (by  Br.  lianvanl), 
and  the  Baptist  Harp.  These  are  generally  very  good,  but  everybody 
says  Dr.  Dowling's  hymns  are  the  ones  for  the  West  to  use  in  conference, 
prayer,  and  inquiry  meetings.  Thousands  of  them  can  be  sold  in  tlii* 
State,  if  they  are  introduced." 

From  Rev.  John  M.  Peck,  of  Missouri. 

"  It  is  exactly  such  a  book  as  thousands  want  and  will  buy  in  these 
great,  central  States." 

From  the  Vermont  Gazette. 

-  This  work  is  designed  especially  to  meet  a  want  existing  in  the  Bap- 
tist denomination.  The  high  literary  character  of  the  author  is  a  sura 
guarantee  in  this  respect.  But,  after  all.  it  is  not  so  much  finely  finished 
•entcnces  as  soul-stirring  truths,  hymned  by  warm  hearts,  that  impart 
to  the  social  interview  its  greatest  zest." 

From  the  Michigan  Christian  Herald. 

"  From  a  hasty  examination,  we  should  think  that  Mr.  Dowling  had  ex- 
ecuted the  work  in  a  judicious  manner." 

From  the  Baptist  Memorial. 

"The  people  generally  will  say—give  us  the  old-fashioned  hymns,  if 
the  poetry  is  not  quite  as  good ;  while  some  critics  will  think  otherwise 
Most  of  the  hymns  are,  however,  unobjectionable  in  respect  to  poetic 
merit." 

From  the  Western  Christian  Journal. 

"Hymn  books  are  multiplying,  but  we  shall  be  mistaken  '.f  this  doei 
not  prove  to  be  a  popular  collection.  It  contains  360  hymns  and  many 
of  them  the  sweetest  in  the  language." 

From  the  Christian  Secretary. 

"We  can  cheerfully  commend  this  liltle  book  to  the  churches,  as  being 
pre-etninently  adapted  to  the  purposed  for  which  it  is  designed." 

EDWARD  11,  FLETCHER,  Publisher, 

141  NASSAU  Si.,  N.  T 


THE  CONVERSATIONAL  COMMENTARY; 

COMBINING 

THE  QUESTION-BOOK  AND  EXPOSITION. 

DESIGNED  FOR  THE  USE  OF  SABBATH-SCHOOLS  AND  FAMILIES 

Vol.  I.,  on  Matthew. 
Vol.  II.,  on  John. 
Vol.  III.,  on  the  Acts. 

BY  WILLIAM   HAGUE. 


"  The  plan  of  Dr.  Hague  in  these  several  books  to  meet 
the  wants  of  the  higher  classes  in  Sabbath-schools,  we  have 
never  seen  surpassed  nor  even  equalled  by  any  other  author, 
according  to  our  taste  and  judgment.1' — Christian  Chronicle. 

"  It  is  a  species  of  Commentary  quite  original,  combining 
all  the  most  valuable  results  of  archeological  and  critical 
learning,  without  the  lumber  and  parade  which  often  render 
the  perusal  of  the  ordinary  Commentaries  and  '  notes '  an 
onerous  and  unwelcome  task.  Mr.  Hague's  plan  renders 
everything  clear,  impressive,  and  practical,  so  that  the  mind 
is  held,  by  an  increasing  interest,  to  those  truths  which  are 
most  important  to  be  remembered." — Western  Watchman. 

"  The  method  of  imparting  instruction  in  this  book  is  a 
novel  but  happy  one.  The  author  remarks  in  his  preface, 
'  The  teacher  who  would  give  instruction  in  any  department 
of  knowledge  so  as  to  awaken  in  his  scholar  a  spirit  of  in- 
quiry, cannot  easily  satisfy  himself  with  abrupt  and  insu- 
lated questions ;  in  order  to  arouse  the  mind  to  action  and 
bring  himself  into  sympathy  with  it,  he  must  communicate 
something.  The  remark  which  imparts  knowledge,  quickens 
thought,  and  then  conversation  proceeds  with  a  rational  -md 
easy  flow.'  " — Michigan  Christian  Herald. 

Published  by  EDWARD  H.  FLETCHER, 
141  NASSAU  STREET,  NEW  YORK. 


THE 


BAPTIST  SCRIPTURAL  CATECHISM 


HA  VINO  examined  the  Baptist  Scriptural  Catechism  prepared  by  Rer. 
II.  C.  FISH,  we  cordially  recommend  it  to  the  churches,  Delieving  it  to 
possess  peculiar  excellences;  among  which  may  be  mentioned  especially 
the  following : 

1.  It  is  based  upon  the  catechetical  plan  of  instruction. 

2.  The  general  use  of  Scriptural  language  in  the  answers. 

3.  An  important  peculiarity  of  this  work  is,  that  it  contains  an  extend*! 
examination  of  the  evidences  qf  Christianity — a  department  of  biblical 
instruction  which  has  been  too  much  neglected. 

We  earnestly  hope  that  it  may  be  generally  adopted  by  our  Sabbath 
Schools. 
S.  II.  CONE,  Pastor  of  First  Baptist  Church,       New  York. 


S  REMINGTON, 

u 

Stan  ton  St.  Bap. 

Ch.            « 

JOHN  POWLING, 

u 

Broadway        " 

u                  u 

W.  S.  CLAPP, 

M 

Olive  Branch  " 

U                         W 

LEVI  PARMELY, 

u 

Sdiloh  '           " 

II                           U 

A.  D.  GILLETTE, 

H 

Eleventh         " 

«    Philadelphia. 

R.  T.MIDDLEDITCH 

,« 

• 

"    Lyons  Farms,  N.  J 

WM.  B.  TOLAN. 

M 

« 

"    Morristown,        " 

DAVID  B   STOUT, 

•« 

First               " 

"    Middletown,       "* 

WM.  H.  TURTON, 

u 

ii 

"    Elizabethtown.  •  j 

J.  M  CARPENTER, 

II 

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JOHN  TEASDALE, 

u 

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$  Schooley's 
(   Mountain, 

H.  V.  JONES, 

11 

u 

"    Piscataway,         " 

D.  HENRY  MILLER, 

» 

Mt.  Olivet       " 

«    Yonkere,        N.  T 

SAMUEL  WHITE, 

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First                " 

"    Stalen  Islund,     H 

D.  F.  LEACH. 

u 

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"    Port  Jervis,       h 

C.  A.  BUCKBEE, 

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" 

"    Conway,  Mass. 

L.  O.  GRENELL,  Missionary  to  California. 

The  first  volume  is  designed  for  the  younger  members  of  the  SabbaVl 
School,  and  the  language  is  simple  anil  plain.  Price  60cts.  per  dozen. 

Volume  second  is  for  those  more  advanced,  and  contains  a  reviey  of 
the  doctrines  and  evidences  of  Christianity.  Price  81  SOcts  per  dozen. 

EDWARD  H,  FLETCHER,  Publisher, 

141  NASSAU  ST.,  N.  Jf 


CHEAP  CASH    BOOK  STORE, 

EDWARD    H.   FLETCHER, 

No.  141   Nassau   street, 
NEW  YORK. 

Has  constantly  on  hand,  at  wholesale  and  retail,  a  general 
assortment  of  Theological,  Classical,  Miscellaneous,  School 
atid  Blank  nooks  and  Stationery. 

A  complete  Depository  of  SABBATH  SCHOOL  BOOKS. 

Booksellers,  Traders,  Teachers,  Schools,  Academies  and 
Individuals  supplied,  wholesale  and  retail,  on  the  most  lib- 
eral terms. 

Religious  books  of  every  variety  which  are  to  be  found 
in  the  market,  may  be  obtained  here  at  the  very  lowest 
prices. 


SECOND-HAND  BOOKS, 

Valuable  Standard  Theological  and  other  Books  from 
private  libraries  will  be  sold  at  a  fraction  of  the  price  oi 
new. 


MARRIAGE  CERTIFICATES. 

A  new  and  beautiful  article,  with  a  silver  border,  sam- 
ples of  which  will  be  sent  gratis  to  post-paid  applications. 
«  Published  by 

EDWARD   H.  FLETCHER, 

Ao.  141  Nassau  street. 


lligljts  unit 


Or  Words  of  Comfort  addressed  to  those  who  are  sowing  in  tears 
and  shall  reap  in  joy.  By  JOHN  BOWLING,  D.  D.  "  Weeping  may 
endure  for  a  night,  but  joy  cometh  in  the  morning."  CONTENTS  :  — 
1.  Nights  of  weeping  and  mornings  of  joy.  2.  Night  of  convic- 
tion and  mornings  of  conversion.  3.  Night  of  desertion  and  morn- 
ing of  restoration.  4.  Night  of  trouble  and  morning  of  deliver- 
ance. 5.  Night  of  weariness  and  morning  of  Rest.  6.  Night  of 
death  and  morning  of  everlasting  life. 

Ikjtrjps  nf  n  Crntt  ;$tS5tnnnrt|. 

BY  REV.  GEO.  HATT. 

This  is  a  volume  of  experience,  of  facts  and  incidents  in  th« 
path  of  personal  effort. 

rang  A  nf  tjp  I'm, 

OR  JUVENILE    INFLUENCE. 
BY  J.  H.  ROSS. 

A  good  book  for  Boys  and  Girls. 


A  treatise  on  the  nature  of  Matrimony,  the  mutual  obligations 
of  husband  and  wife,  with  appropriate  instruction  to  both, 

BY  REV.  S.  REMINGTON. 

Some  are  put  up  with  a  neat  marriage  certificate,  folded  in  like  a 
a  map,  for  the  use  of  ministers  to  present  those  they  marry.  Price 
from  12|  to  75  cents,  according  to  the  style  of  binding. 

3#cnroir  nf  Mrrn  Sfenntt,  Iniinr, 

AGENT   OF   THE   AMERICAN   BAPTIST   MISSIONARY   UNIOK. 

By  REV.  H.  HARVEY.    12mo.    Price,  75  Centi. 


^ 

*^ 


^ 

tl 


THE 

BAPTIST 

SCRIPTURAL  CATECHISM, 

FOR  THE  USE  OF   SABBATH   SCHOOLS 
AND  BIBLE  CLASSES. 

VOLUME  II. 

ON  THE  EVIDENCES   AND    DOCTRINES   OF  CHHISTIANITT. 

FOR  THE  MORE  ADVANCED  MEMBERS  OF  SABBATH 
SCHOOLS,  AND  FOR  BIBLE  CLASSES. 


<§3 


BY  HENRY   C.  FISH, 
Pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church,  SomerriHe,  N.  J. 


Ye  shall  lay  up  these  my  words  in  your  heart,  and  in  your  soul. 

UEUT.  ii.  18. 
The  word  have  I  hid  in  mine  heart. — Pa.  cziz.  11. 


SECOND    EDITION. 

NEW    YORK: 
EDWARD    H.    FLETCHER, 

141    NASSAU    STREET. 

1850. 


CONVERSATIONAL  COMMENTARY,! 


COMBINING  THE 


QUESTION-BOOK  AND   EXPOSITION. 


DESIGNED    FOR 


BIBLE  CLASSES,  SABBATH  SCHOOLS,  AND  FAMILIES. 


GOSPEL  ACCOEDING  TO  MATTHEW. 


WILLIAM      HAGUE. 


In  free  dnnranr,  new  thought*  ore  struck  out.  nnd  th«  §eedi  of  truth  tpnrtle  und 
blaze,  whirl,  in  calm  mid  Bllrnt  rrmlmi;  would  curvrr  Uav*  b«en  rxchrd.  B>  convert- 
tion,  fan  Ixilh  rive  und  rn-civc  thU  benefit;  •<  flintn,  whrn  put  in  motion,  aud  ttrii- 
iu4  a^xiiut  euli  oilier,  pruduc*  living  Ira  on  both  tKla. — Da.  WATT*. 


NEW    YORK: 

EDWARD    H.    FLETCHER. 
1851. 


.LIBRARY 

y- 


DC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FAOL 


A     000616931     2 


